Shannon and Chris

31 Weeks and Travel

2010-08-14T01:08:00.000-07:00

Well, technically I am 30 weeks and 6 days, but tomorrow we finish our travels for the summer and head back to the UAE on our next adventure there...

The last year has really taught us a lot about humility, patience, going-with-the-flow, and accepting the things we have no control over. Chris will start work at Al Dhafra Private School in Al Ain on September 13. We have to start the entire visa process over--medical tests, health insurance, visas, setting up our apartment... HOWEVER, we are really looking forward to it, and I think in hindsight, we don't regret anything that's happened. I won't be going back to work until January...too hard being 8 months pregnant in 110F heat (45C)... We'll be a little tighter with our money, but we are just so excited to be welcoming our baby girl in October that money doesn't seem to matter as much...

From the last time I posted...I need to get better at this thing...we went to Ohio to visit my family there. We did a whole host of things--soccer, dinners out, etc., but the best thing for me I think was that my step-mom, Cyndy, hosted a beautiful baby shower for me. It was absolutely divine. A few of my friends and mostly family came and brought their wisdom and so many adorable things! I think my absolute favorite was the stroller my dad and Cyndy gave us. My grandma was able to come along with my cousin Catie. I caught up with a few friends and Sarah even came for a longer visit. After a week at home, we all packed up and went to Maryland for a week of family vacation. My dad rented a house, which is right on Deep Creek Lake--about 3 hours away from New Concord. It was the first time in over a year that we were all together...BUT we didn't get a picture... Missy's looking quite pregnant, and I think she's having a slightly harder time of it this time around...

Overall it was a great visit... I got really emotional this time leaving home--Montanan and Ohio... I think it's helped us see that next year is really our last abroad. We're ready to go home...

Brian, Dad, and Cyndy at Claddaugh Irish Pub in Columbus, Ohio

Crew Soccer Game

Super cute shower gifts

Mindi and Cyndy

Some of the sisters

Me, Mindi, Missy, and Grandma Mimi

Sarah, Louise, and I

Catie and Logan

Our stroller all set up

Shower gifts

Where we stayed in Maryland

Day on the beach--Colleen, Missy, and I

Chris and I

Owen and Logan

Missy and I bump to bump

Bri et. al

Cards

(Wales to come later)

27 weeks, traveling, kicking, and relaxing...

2010-07-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well we have been Stateside almost 4 weeks now. We started off visiting my mom, step-dad Steve, and sister Colleen in the beautiful Billings, Montana. We caught up with friends at a wedding, talked to a financial adviser about money and future college tuition (eek), ate out at some amazing restaurants like Cafe Italia and Enzo (seriously if you are ever in Billings, check them out), 'museumed', watched the 4th of July fireworks from my parents' deck on the cliff, and hung out with my (Shannon) amazing fam...

After Montana, my mom, Chris, baby bump (who is quickly acquiring more frequent flier miles than some adults), and I went to Phoenix, Arizona... We wanted to check out the location for a possible place to live after we return to the USA next year. We saw my aunts, cousins, grandpa... My mom took us to see things around the State, and my memory was constantly being jogged and reminded of sights from when I lived there as a young girl... (Kindergarten to 2nd grade). We went to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and up to Las Vegas! Though Vegas has its own reputation, we really enjoyed seeing my cousin, LOOKING at the Strip (not gambling), and going to the "Love" Cirque du Soleil show, featuring the Beattles music. Our baby girl has either discovered a passion for the Beattles or a deep loathing--she was kicking so hard that I actually jumped out of my seat momentarily!

We spent some really great quality time with my mom and aunts and cousins... They've discovered Rumikub--a British game I've been playing with Chris' family for years. We spent plenty of time playing that and swimming and catching up...

After Arizona, we left for Ohio to visit my dad. Will catch you up later about this visit.

On the BABY front, our girl is kicking and is incredibly active... Though kind of at the most random hours--9-12 pm; 4-6 am...and never during the day. Chris has started to feel her and I can see them through my shirt! It's a blessing, and we are so incredibly happy and excited for what's going to happen in 13 weeks time... We cannot wait to meet this person.

Here are a few randoms...

Baby-ness

2010-06-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor's last Monday, and I am incredibly happy to announce that we are having a GIRL! Again, the ultrasound tech asked if we really wanted to know, but after having been told that yes, 80% it's a GIRL a month ago, we couldn't go another 4 without knowing for sure...

I was a little nervous about getting the scan plus having the results from our downs syndrome blood test... We had our detailed scan, and our baby GIRL has all ten toes and fingers... The blood test went fine and Dr. Jacobs reported that I had the same risk as a 19 year old girl... She is absolutely perfect.

I do have a little confession, however... I have been getting slightly anxious every time we go into a baby shop. I feel that between the baby, the move, the trip home, and the new jobs I haven't had a clue where to start... It's just overwhelming and I think I am in denial to how close this baby is coming... We go home and boom, we come back and the baby is coming...

I just hope I come around soon, and I get some advice from my mom and sisters...

The blog might start to reflect more baby-ness feelings... I want to use it as a memory keeper.

So a change is in hand...

2010-05-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well I think I have decided
to change the way I blog...

Generally I think there is
NOTHING
important to write about,
or that those who blog EVERY day have a sort of complex...
or maybe it could be interpreted as
an eco-friendly journal,
which you ACCIDENTALLY leave open...

But then as I have been
nosing through some people's blogs,
I came across an entry that got me
THINKING...

They are using it as a tool to log
pictures, memories, etc.,
and with a baby on the way,
I think I need to change my
interpretation and my pompous,
"I'm only going to blog once a month
or once every 3 months" mantra...

So here we go. Again, another promise
and another attempt at changing...

I think I will start off slowly...once a week?
Maybe blog on a Friday morning--
(our equivalent to a Sunday here)...

Even if we're the only ones
who really read it... MAYBE Chris will
feel the urge to blog too... hmmm...

Here are some new pictures from Facebook...

Me at about 19 weeks...

Our last ultrasound at 17 weeks

Journeys

2010-04-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

So as I lamely sit here watching Twilight, I was reminiscing about Chris' and my journey over the last few years. We met about five years ago at Perks, Athens' own local brewing coffee house, to discuss my impending linguistics project on the Welsh language... Our extensive library at OU only had 2 books about the language, and they were both dictionaries... There was little interpretation of the phonemes when you are looking at sounds like /ll/, /dd/, /w/ as a vowel, etc. Duhduhduhdahhhhh Chris Davis to the rescue. We met and became purely friends, and I never would have guessed we would be where we are five years from then.

After a year of intense dating--much to the chagrin of some people, we persevered through two years of long distance dating, being engaged, and finally tying the knot in Athens... In the span of one month, we as bright-eyed, lovey-dovey newlyweds married, moved overseas to the Middle East, and started new jobs--all on our own! We have loved living in Al Ain and have made wonderful, family-like friends.

After 625 days of being married...we are ready for our next adventure--we're having a baby!!! We absolutely cannot believe this is happening to us, but we are excited beyond words. When I look at my husband sitting next to me, I can't help but be grateful that I have such a steady, hard working, loving man sharing this journey of life with me...

catch-up

2010-02-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

december:

christmas was
bittersweet
a time that
we spent with
close friends
but were lonely
and empty
without family.
we enjoyed each
other though
and hope for
many future
christmases
at home.

january:

we finished up
the quarter
giving our kids
uber hard exams
...haha.

celebrated
my quarter-century
birthday.

then we met
steve and mom
and traveled to the
mysterious, ominous
land of the
pyramids and petra.
we explored,
were harassed,
walked, bargained,
hailed life-threatening
taxis,
ate, slept,
swam in
sinkless water...
what a trip!

february:

wow. what a short month!
so is this post.

2010-02-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

repeat offender: blogger failure

sorry to those who
read about what trivial
blabbings we might decide
to post.

i can't promise you anything
special or unique, or
that this won't happen again.

maybe i should just say that
we are busy with work, school
friends, family, cleaning,
creating quizzes, grocery shopping...

but you know that they are all
just excuses...

so sorry. i have no other explanation
other than we are blogger failures.

so here is another moment...
a reconciliation to put this right,
to try to reconnect
with the digital world.

peace.

Christmas

2009-12-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is
A time for believing
Carols
A time for traditions
Rudolph
A time for forgiving
Matching PJs
A time for memories
Shanghai
A time for fellowship
Fajitas
A time for remembrance
Gingerbread Houses
A time for family
LOVE.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T05:44:00.000-08:00

Wow...how to start. Thanksgiving is one of the greatest, non-selfish, loving holidays. There is no materialism attached to it--no presents, Hallmark does not dominate the day, and it's all about telling the people you love how much they mean to you... So here is my declaration--I am thankful for all of my family and friends. I cannot imagine my life without you, and I feel so blessed to have health and love all around me.

Holidays away from family and friends back home has been difficult, and Thanksgiving certainly is no exception. However, with the help of our friends here and a lovely dinner, I missed everyone just a little bit less...

I decided a few weeks ago that I wasn't going to just let Thanksgiving come and go, feeling sorry for myself and wishing I were in Mexico, Montana, Arizona, or Ohio...like I did last year. I invited some of our closest friends here and made a feast of food! Turkey is hard to come by, so I made a yummy cranberry stuffed chicken dish instead. Here are some pictures:

Irne and Jacques

Roslind and Kevin

Andrew and Marie

Carol-Ann and Nic

us...

Games Time!

Blogger Failure

2009-10-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Hi hi. Just in case there are a few people apart from our mamas reading this, we thought it would be good to update. I think I will probably send out a Christmas newsletter too...so don't hold your breath for another update until then =p Chris and I are definitely back into the swing of things at work. We cannot believe it's going to be November on Sunday! Where did September and October go? Have we really been apart from our family for over two months??? So here's a snippet of updates in our life:

Jobs
We love teaching this year. I think it's a combination of knowing the students and knowing what we are actually doing... It was a challenging year for us as first-time teachers in a foreign school, teaching foreign students... I am teaching Gr 7 & 8 English, and Chris is teaching Gr 7 & 8 Humanities and Gr 8 English! We have our moments planning together, but we are finding ways to compromise and work together both professionally and maritally. As part of my thesis, I have set up class websites if anyone wants to check out what my English class has been up to:
Gr 8 English
Gr 7 English
I have found a love for Young Adult Lit. I never thought I would, but the books are just so easy, simple and sweet. I never thought I'd get away from the Classics; I may have converted a tad...

Friends
We absolutely love our friends here. Being an American and British couple, we are already an oddity, and we have been kind of adopted by our South African comrades. They are our surrogate family, and we would definitely be miserable without them! Our good friends Cindy and Justin are expecting their first baby...on my birthday... We definitely won't be making that step here, but it's been a fascinating and an amazing experience to see their lives changing and being around them. =D Otherwise, Chris has been introducing me to a lot of rugby. If you know me, you know I would never willingly sit and watch any type of sport, but I am enjoying rugby...so manly. We are going to watch the Dubai 7s in December with our group of friends, and Chris has been playing a lot of touch rugby with the guys.
Here are a few pictures of our peeps:

Our friend Chantal's birthday night!

Friend Carol-Ann

The Touch Rugby Wives

Boys on the field

Our friend Cindy at her baby shower

Trips
We will be going to Egypt and Jordan this January with Mom and Steve. We are super excited. We are also thinking of meeting my Dad and Cyndy in Italy in April, but that's still in the works... Chris' parents and Brian and Denise are ALL coming during the middle of March, and we are completely stoked!!!! We love to host visitors and show them this place (hint, hint)!

Surgery
We have been to a Laser Eye Specialist in Dubai, and I think Chris has decided to have the surgery. We found out his prescription is -6 and a -5, and he's the ideal candidate, so I think he's pretty set on doing the surgery. We have had two friends and a sister who have had it done, and they always say it's changed their lives. One of my co-workers has had it done at the place we are going to and highly recommended the doctor, so that put some of our anxiety to rest... I will let everyone know though.

Friends and Family Back Home
WE MISS YOU. WE LOVE YOU. EVERYDAY.

Feeling the heat...

2009-08-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well Chris and I have returned to Al Ain for sure. School has been alright; however, we are constantly unsure as to why we are there. The students don't start for another month, but we are forced to go to meetings with either PowerPoints we have already seen from last year or that are stolen from local hotels... The rest of the day is spent doing absolutely nothing. We have met quite a few of the new staff--there are 25. Chris and I will be teaching with a woman named Steph, who is from the UK, and she seems absolutely lovely. We aren't sure what if any of the resources have arrived, but luckily knowing the way school atarted last year, we were prepared to start with our own. There were some fears that schools would not open because of the H1N1 flu virus. People here are extremely paranoid about that flu, especially because it has the word "swine" commonly attached to it. Luckily, however, the Ministry published a statement saying that the schools would open on their respective dates: We will be starting September 27 with the kiddies!!! Chris will be teaching Gr 7 & 8 Social Studies and Gr 7 English, and I will be teaching Gr 7 & 8 English.

Heat wise, it's hard to describe it here. The blast you receive when you walk outside would be like opening the door to the oven and sticking your entire body in it. The temperature at 8 pm, after the sun is down was 43C = 109F. Yesterday when the sun was up it was 48C = 119F. We stay inside all day now because Ramadan has started. Because it's a Muslim country, none of the restaurants, cafes, etc. are open, and we are not allowed to eat, drink, chew gum, etc. in public--not even in our own cars. Thus, in the heat, it's almost impossible to not drink; consequently, we are staying inside until Iftar (breaking of the fast).

Socially we are enjoying ourselves immensly! All of our close friends have returned. Our life outside of school is definitely making the decision to return home difficult. Two of my girlfriends are pregnant this year, which will add a new dimension to our group... We have hardly had nights alone because people are all wanting to catch up!

Will catch up more later!

School...

2009-08-19T04:53:00.001-07:00

Since we've been back, we have seen many of our friends. Nic, a New Zealand teacher who began with us, met us at the airport. We arrived on time without any complications... however, our luck did not hold. When we got home, we found our fridge off... Chris thinks he accidently turned off the switch as every plug has one... OOPS. It was not a pleasant thing to come back to, but we made do. Our apartment, otherwise, was welcoming, and we are happy to be home!

As we were afraid of, the students aren't starting here until the end of September. September 27 to be precise. We, however, have to start on time...August 25. However, there are rumors that it will not affect the calendar, and we will still have our holidays and end on time... Hmmm...not going to hold my breath, though.

OOOOH we do have GOOD news! Chris has been 99% confirmed as a coordinator for next year. He will be in charge of Social Studies and English! Yay, Chris! =D

We will keep you updated as the year starts about school. Lots of love.

Back Home...

2009-08-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

We finally made it back to the UAE. We can't believe a year ago we embarked on such a scary journey--not knowing what to expect, whom we would meet, what the culture would be like or worse, the school... But we survived, and I think thrived here.

We celebrated our first anniversary 10 days ago, and I really believe we made the right choice coming here. We got to start off on our own, relying on only each other and solving our own adjustment issues. I think we have enjoyed every moment of marriage, and if it's possible, I think I love Chris more than when we got married.
We didn't celebrate per say, but we did spend the weekend meeting the newest member of the Davis family: Ellie Louise. She was born 18 July, weighing 8lb 9oz. She is absolutely precious and everyone is completely besotted with her. Our time in Wales was quick and eventful, especially after seeing Steve, Michelle, and Ellie. Paul and Malvine took us around several of the sights: St. David's Cathedral, Llanesteffan Castle, Pembrey, and Tenby. The weather did not cooperate 100% of the time, but the little sunshine we had, we took full advantage of it.
While we have spent much of the summer traveling from place to place, we never forgot our family or never stopped missing them, and I think we realized how precious our time is with them.

We do want to let you know that we are starting the immigration process for Chris to come to the States. We have a lot of mixed feelings about all of this... We really love Al Ain. We love our new friends, our lifestyle, our freedom. However, we dearly miss our family. It also took a long time for us to decide if we are would move to the UK or the USA. We took everything into consideration: family, jobs, expenses, travel... We decided on the USA primarily because the cost of living is much greater in the UK and we have a higher chance of obtaining a job.

We will keep you all posted on the progress. Lots love.

Summer Update

2009-08-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

Well we are assuming we have seen most of you. For those of you we didn't, I am sorry. Buzzing around from place to place seems to be our destiny for the next few decades...unless people start coming to us... =D Here's a very BRIEF update to what we've been up to:

The end of school was bittersweet. We really were happy to have a break, but we said good bye to friends and students. Again our principal resigned due to top school management. We try to just teach and not worry too much about the bureaucracies of our school...Ok, enough work talk.

When we left Al Ain, we went to New York City for a brief stopover. We met up with Jamie and Megan (Bruce) and had an amazing time! Chris had never been there, and I hadn't been back since I went there with the Meistersingers in high school. The buzz of the city never ceases to amaze me, and we fell in love with the Brooklyn area. It honestly seemed like a large Athens. We went to all the major tourist activities, walked over 18 miles in two days, and still squeezed in some sleep.

After this, we went to Montana. Mom and Steve took us around Yellowstone and Cody. We met up with Katie, Beth, and I glimpsed Michelle =D. We readjusted to some normality being at our first "home."

We then went to New Concord, Ohio, where my dad lives. It's our second home and always welcoming. We met up with little Logan and Mindi and Shane. We got to see how he's grown since January...making us realize how long we've been gone.

For the last two weeks, we've been in Ireland, touring on a mini-coach with my Dad, Cyndy, Missy, David, Owen, Megs, Colleen, Enid, and Grandma Mimi. The scenery, pubs, people were amazing. The entire time we road in the coach, I had the voice of Yeats running through my mind:

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a-glimmer, and non a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

The emerald hills never ceased to amaze us, listening to the traditional music...

Ok, more later.

Love to you.

Muscat

2009-05-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

After my family left...we had spring break! It was a well-needed/deserved break. We rested at our place for a few days and then went to Oman. It's a beautiful coastal town only about 4 hours away from us!

Vivacious Visitors

2009-04-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

Lots of things have gone on this month! At the beginning of the month, my mom, Steve, Erin, Sarah, Colleen, and Uncle Jim (UJ) came for a visit! We saw a side of Dubai that we had never seen before--the non-mall side... We had done some touristy things, but not as many as we crammed into few days we were there.

We went to Atlantis, which is built on the Palm Jumeirah, the set of artificial islands--which we have heard are already sinking...hmmm. In Atlantis, the interior design reflects the lost city--it is beautifully morose and forgotten... You walk in amazed at the luxuriousness and are transposed into another world... The aquarium by far was one of our favorite things to see at Atlantis. The "Lost Chambers" has made headlines because it is harboring a whale shark, which they supposedly rescued. Seeing it was bittersweet.. Activists (and we support this) have pushed for its release back into the Gulf of Oman...but for some economical reason they are reluctant. On the otherhand, I remember learning about the whale shark in elementary school and being completely fascinated by this creature...and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Other than Atlantis, some highlights included a few malls--Mall of the Emirates and Festival City, Jumeirah Mosque, the Dubai Museum, and the souqs... My family of Montanans were semi-impressed with Ski Dubai. While we didn't go in, I think they were surprised to see a quad lift indoors, snow in the desert, and people wearing parkas, while on the outside of the glass we were wearing capris and short-sleeves...

We listened to a guide at the mosque, which answered a lot of questions Chris and I have had for months. While he was a Muslim and an Emirate, he has lived in the States and was able to pinpoint several discrepencies, misconceptions, and ignorance that people have about Islam. We learned that Muslims recognize the Bible as part of their religion. They follow the book (the New and Old Testament) much the same way Christians do. However, they believe Mohammad to be the last prophet, and this is where our religions diverge because they follow his book, the Qu'ran. We learned about the five pillars, the good angel and the bad angel who record your life's actions, and there are no excuses...Needless to say, his speech has helped us a little with our kids. We spent some time in the Dubai Museum. It's actually very interactive and visual, and we learned a lot about the region... I think the highlight--and I think everyone would agree--of the weekend was the souqs. We went to the textile souq and bought beautiful shoes, tapestries, and even a belly dancing costume (Erin did, not me, hehe).
We went on a desert safari with them, went to Jumana--a show to share the history of the religion, and they did a lot while, yes, we worked.

Their last weekend, though, was pretty amazing. UJ had a fantastic idea to go to the Burj al Arab--the only 7 star hotel in the world. We went for high-tea, and to see what was the buzz. All around the hotel were cars I had only seen in pictures: Rolls Royces (both owned by the hotel and guests), a Ferrari, and more! It was humbling... The food was amazing, and we left thinking we could handle that more often...hehe.
They left the next day...and we were really happy to have had visitors and people close to us actually live a little in the place we are calling home. They made us realize how exotic this place really is, and how much we crave normality...sooner than later.

The Veggie Man

2009-03-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

I thought today I would write a post about something normal. Every Friday, Chris and I go grocery shopping, which includes stopping at Carrefour and the vegetable/fruit store. The highlight is not the spotless, buzzing, Wal-Mart-esque supermarket, but the quiet, hole-in-the wall store, which our friends took us to one of our first weeks here. There seem to be three men who run the shop. While I don't know their names, they are always anxious and helpful and greet us with smiles.

Every time we go in, they insist on finding the fruits and veggies for us. They pick through boxes, tossing aside of perfectly good looking food to find the greatest veggies and fruit there. A few weeks ago I wanted to get Tasmanian cherries, and he took me to the back, washed a few off, and let Chris and I try them before we bought 500g of them!

They always encourage us to expand our palettes as well. One of the first times we went in, they gave us rambutans. They look like alien fruit, and since we have been here, I have always wondered what they were. Our veggie man showed us how to peel them, starting our education. He gives us something different to try each week. Last week he gave us mangoes, and honestly, I have only had them dried--thus, I had no idea what to do with them. Friends told us to just peel them like a carrot... They were sweet and tangy and unbelievably juicy.

I think that the availabilty and quality of fruits and veggies is amazing. Things always seem to be in season, and we can always fill our cravings =D. Well, that's about all I have for now...hope you are doing well!

Lots of Love.

2009-03-08T20:23:00.001-07:00

Our campsite

My adorable husband

a mama and a babyFriends (from left to right): Tanya and Ali, Nic, me, Hasina, and Lydia.

Friends Nic and Hasina

Hi! Hello! Salut!

We've been camping a few times. The last go was fantastic. We went to a new place out by the camel racetrack. It's amazing that trees grow in the desert, but they manage to. People went dune bashing, A few weekends ago, we went to hear Frank McCourt speak. His writing, though a bit depressive, always reflected the theme of perseverence and humor. He spoke through an interview and answered various questions, but the book he talked about the most was Teacher Man, his new book. It's about his life after he came to the States and about teaching English in NYC public schools for 30 years...

Frank

We've had our first relaxing, three-day weekend. Chris and I have settled into a routine with work, friends, alone time, etc., but we certainly welcome change. The Prophet Mohammad's birthday was last week; however, instead of having a weekend and then a day of school and then a day off, the Ministry of Education finally decided to do something logical--move the holiday up a day! Therefore, we received our first three-day weekend.

The Ministry of Education or MOE has been a bit of a thorn in our sides. They have still not decided when we will start school next year. This has been particularly frustrating because we cannot make definite summer plans. We are planning to visit the States, the UK, and take some sort of a trip...depending on funds. So far the choices are Europe (the lesser traveled countries: Croatia, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and maybe Spain and Portugal), US road trip (out to AZ, CA, etc.), or even South Africa...Any ideas or votes? Until they decide our school dates, we won't know our plans...

Last weekend we and our friends Cindy and Justin went to Dubai Mall. It's right next to the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, and it is impressive. This mall is stunning. It has the world's largest aquarium viewing panel. It's about two stories tall. It's amazing. The malls are designed, have installations, fountains, and gardens inside. It makes shopping enjoyable and an adventure!

Cindy and Justin

While the trip was enjoyable, on the way home we ran into a traffic jam. A helicopter flew in, and we still had no idea what was going on. We have mentioned the horrific drivers, and when it comes to accidents, there are no exceptions. While we were stopped, drivers began driving on the shoulder, the Land Cruisers went into the dunes around the accident, and several cars attempted to follow getting badly stuck... The helicopter left, the police let us slowly pass, and we saw what happened. A car--about the size of ours--hit a camel. The camel was still on the side of the road, and the car was smashed...It might look similar to a car that just hit a few moose. Now, the interesting thing is that we aren't sure if the helicopter was flown in for the people or for the camel. Camels in the UAE are worth about 200,000Dhs or about $55,000 or 40,000GBP. They are an asset...

We have made a lot of great friends here. This week, we have been to our first Braai--a South African barbeque. Our same friends, Cindy and Justin, hosted it. We were not sure what to expect. They had meats such as biltong and droewors. It's amazing having friends from all over the world and trying out their cooking.

I guess that's about all for now. Love you!

2009-02-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we have not updated this blog in ages. Since we last updated, we went to Abu Dhabi to watch the Capitala World Championship match. Nidal and Andy Murray played, and the underdog (Murray) took the title. We went with a few friends, and really enjoyed our time. For New Years, we went into the desert and camped. It got off to a later start than we had hoped for, but the night in the end turned into a lot of fun, sitting by the campfire, having some wine, and looking up at the stars...

After that, time seemed to slip away. We were completely swamped with reports, testing, and our holiday to the States. It's been nearly a month since we left for the States, which we can NOT believe, but it was such a great time to be back home--seeing everyone and meeting the two newest members of the family... We did not want to get on the planes; it was hard leaving everyone. But honestly, we were surprised how much we missed Al Ain and the people here. The relationships we have formed abroad are close--they have become another family.

Being back at school has been oddly wonderful. Before we broke for the January holiday, Chris and I did have some reservations about being back. My work load was more demanding than it should have been, and we were unsure of the curriculum, teacher shortage, and administration tensions... However, now that we have returned, it seems to be all sorted out. We arrived to school to find 4 new teachers (just in the Girls' School), a plan to continue the IBO program, and our principal, Christine, really seems to be on top of everything. My girls have finally gotten into the classroom routine, and I have almost no discipline problems any longer. My biggest challenge, as a teacher with them, has been creating motivation. I have asked them what their goals and dreams are, and of the 30 girls that I teach, 85% of them, aspire to be a mother and a housewife...Most of them are already betrothed, and they will marry within 5 years...tough getting them to care about English literature, grammar, poetry, reading, etc... They do, however, seem to enjoy school, and seem to like me...which is helpful. =)

Since we've been back, we have been up to Dubai a few times. The Dubai Shopping Festival was during the last month, and we went to three malls in one day--a feat in itself. We found Deira City Center Mall, which has 100s of shops, including those that we would shop at all the time...New Look, Gap, Banana Republic, Promod, etc. (The picture is Deira City Center) We didn't spend too much, but we had a nice time just looking around. Then we went to Festival City Mall, where Ikea is, bought some non-made-in-China dishes (just for you, Mom), and had lunch at Carino's (an American Italian eatery). The last place we went to was the Dubai Outlet Mall. Even though it's an outlet mall, the shops are still very high-end and expensive. We've found that it's a rare day when we find something...however, they do have one store that does sell primarily Gap clothing... =)

We just learned this week, that we are going to have a spring vacation! They are taking away a 4-day weekend and giving us the second week of April off...It's--for a lack of a better word--sucky timing as Mom, Steve, Jim, Erin, Sarah, and Colleen leave right when our vacation starts... However, it does leave Chris and I some time to take a possible trip--any suggestions? We are thinking Egypt, Jordan, or Thailand...a week, though, is an odd amount of time...

Well, this weekend has already been eventful. Chris has played football with some guys from work and around time off and on. The second time he played, he broke his wrist. Since we've been back, he's played once without injury...however, last night, his luck ran out. Chris collided with a few players, and he ended up with a nasty cut above his left eye. We went to the ER, and he needed 6 stitches. His eye today is all swollen, purple, and nearly shut... I am not sure how keen he is to get back on the field. Other than letting him rest, we are having a relaxing time... We will meet friends tonight, probably go up on top of our roof, and watch the sunset and have some takeaway schwarmas... Tomorrow we signed up to do the Terry Fox Run in town...we are going to walk...hehe. It's just refreshing to still be apart of the charitable events like we were back home...

Upcoming...we bought a coupon book for Dubai, and we are planning on going to Ski Dubai, on a Dhow cruise, and do some other touristy Dubai things...

Well that's a bit of a catch up for all of you. We miss and love you all!

It's almost Christmas in the desert!

2008-12-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Chris and I in Swansea

Jacqui and her boyfriend Shaun

Paul and Shaun

My former housemates! Mary, Nia, Nic!

Hello Everyone!

Sorry it's been forever. We have been to the UK and Paris and back. They were both amazing. Being home reminded us how much we miss everyone, but we spent a lot of time with Chris' parents and caught up with a few friends =) It was also nice to feel normal...but cold. When we left Dubai, it was 80F, when we landed in the UK, it was 30F...Luckily, Dad sent over my down coat from Ohio.

Paris was beautiful. All of the lights were up for Christmas, people were friendly and in the holiday spirit, and there were hardly any people at the usually busy sights...

Since we've been back, we went on a desert safari with friends. The experience is almost indescribable. I have always been a bit of a scaredy cat, but somehow in the last year, I have pushed my limits...and so has Chris! We went dune bashing, to a camel farm, rode a camel, ate an arabic feast, had henna put on our hands, and smoked some sheesha.

That's about all that's new. We have another break for Christmas. We are having dinner with friends, watching films, and relaxing.

Merry Christmas everyone! We miss and love you sooooooooo much!!!

2008-12-01T00:13:00.000-08:00

Well...just to keep you updated...we will be going to one of our homes in 11 hours!!! Swansea, here we come! We are very excited to go and see family, friends, Christmas lights, Tescos, buses, trains, snow (maybe), etc.! While we are enjoying our time here, work has been stressful, and we have again faced some challenges. Our principal, resigned for a second time, and this time, she is actually gone. We are a bit nervous for the lack of guidance/Western support, but we are happy to have a break from it for awhile. We are all packed and counting down the hours/minutes until we leave! If you are reading this and in the UK, we hope we see you while we are there. We'll keep you all posted as to what we are up to while home!

P.S. National Day is a big issue here. The country is very young, which when remembered, helps us put a few of their discretions into perspective. Here are some pictures from National Day.

Chris, Mustafa (ESL teacher/friend), and Nic (Gr 4 and friend)

Boy and his camel

Me and one of my Gr 7 girls

Girls School Teachers

At last...some pictures of our apartment!

2008-11-22T04:41:00.001-08:00

Our kitchen--I LOVE cooking in here!

Our bedroom before...

Our bedroom now!

Our reading corner!

Floor-to-ceiling cupboards...every girl's dream

Our living/dining room before...

Our dining room after...

Our living room after...

Our guest room before...

Our guest room after...

Dubai =)

2008-11-18T05:41:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone! We went to Dubai this last weekend to do a bit of shopping. The malls here are more like 6 star hotels. The floors are polished granite, there is artwork, fountains, and amazing views of the city. This mall is called Festival City. There are canals, bridges, and the marina is right next door. Here are a few pictures to show you the city!

Canals at Festival City

Me in front of this amazing fountain

An fountain that is a staircase and centerpiece smack in the middle of the mall.

Skyline view of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world!

Chris--broken wrist and all =)

November update

2008-11-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! We hope you are doing well!

Things have been hectic the last month. To give you the "in-a-nutshell" version, we've been enjoying Al Ain, Chris broke his wrist, our principal resigned, and we found a weekend retreat!

...Paul Harvey, and "Now for The Rest of the Story..."

We have been exploring our area a bit. There's a great park called Jahli Park. It's only a short distance from our apartment, but it is the only grassy place that's close.

Chris has been playing football with quite a few of the expat guys from school and in Al Ain on Thursday nights. We bought soccer shoes (trainers, sneakers, etc.) and some shorts, etc., with the idea that this was going to be a long-term activity. Chris lasted three weeks. He was playing goalie and playing very well; however, one of our good friend's, Salim's, shot was a bit too hard for Chris' hand to take. After saving the goal, his wrist being thrashed backwards in doing so, he had to have a cast on for a few weeks. Now he will have to wear a brace for two weeks...

School has had its ups and downs this month. Our principal resigned--we are meant to give 30 days notice, but the school asked her to leave immediately, and all of us were absolutely dumbstruck. She left as usual one day after school and was gone the next. We were quite disheartened for awhile, and many other teachers talked of following her. However, as the UAE tends to work, Annette appeared the next day in school much to all of our relief. Apparently, she resigned with the knowledge she would have to go before the board of directors. The entire country has a lot of bureaucratic issues. Multiple levels of administration is only one of the few problems. Annette had tried many times to get changes made to our school, but she kept facing a brick wall. Consequently, she used this opportunity to voice her frustrations and actually speak to the appropriate people. What ended up feeling like an ultimate catastrophe, actually ended up being a wonderful plan. We had parent-teacher conferences this week. They went pretty well, but it's very surreal talking to parents about their children via a translator. You never know what they are actually interpreting or what they caught from our sentences.

A few weeks ago, Chris and a lot of our building friends went to the Green Mubazzarah. It's a retreat that the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi created at the base of Jebel Hafeet, the mountain in Al Ain. It's a hot springs that he has completely landscaped and designed. We had a picnic dinner, soaked our feet in the spring, played badmitton, and petted a camel for the first time =) It's completely relaxing, and our weekend actually seemed like a weekend.

I guess that's all for now!

T-17 days till we are home in the UK
T-63 days till we are home in the USA

Love to you all!
Miss you!

sorry for the slacking...

2008-10-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Well things are going pretty well here. In the last month, school has progressed pretty well. The first month was really hard because it was the month of Ramadan. Because we are teaching the older students, they were all fasting and they weren't allowed anything to eat or drink all day. That also meant that neither could we. The only upswing to the hectic schedule was that we started at 8:00 and finished at 1:00. Now we are on the traditional schedule 7:30-2:30...

They have adapted pretty well to Western discipline and routines, though Chris might tell you the opposite. They have a completely different mentality to education than we do and its importance. Most of the Emirate children will not go to a university or work, and this makes teaching them a bit challenging. The motivation is very low, unless their parent encourage education and support us back home, but teachers and parents have a non-existent relationship in this country...

We will have to post pictures of our classrooms later, but we will post some of our life around here. We had a week off after Ramadan for Eid, and it was fantastic. Chris and I did a little exploring of Al Ain, Dubai, and Oman (courtesy of our new friend Graeme). In Oman, the country whose border is literally a 6 minute drive, the landscape is completely different. The UAE is basically flat desert, with the exception of the unnatural landscaping that they love to do. However, Oman is mountainous. It is barren, mysterious, and indescribably beautiful. Graeme took us through a very rough, gravel, rocky road to a Wadi somewhere in one of the mountains. Wadi's are dried up riverbeds where the underground water creates a small spring. We went along a very narrow cement canal path to get to the Wadi, and then we swam in just beautifully fresh water. It was wonderful!

We have been getting used to the lifestyle here. Things are done at their own pace, and it is always followed by the phrase insh'allah (God willing). This is the ultimate excuse, and if something doesn't happen, well it wasn't God's will haha. We have adjusted and even have begun to use this phrase quite a bit. We have a washer here in our apartment, but there isn't really a need for a dryer (though it would be nice). We usually take it up to the roof, and our clothes will have dried in less than an hour. It's amazing how dry the air is here. We have found a fruit and vegetable market that we love. We can go there and get 90% of our fruits and veggies for the entire week for less than $6.00 (oh, and most of it is locally grown)! Most of the food here (except for our imported goods) have 0, let me repeat that, 0 preservatives and additives. I never really bought into the whole organic concept back home, but I think you can really tell the difference. Things taste better and we feel a whole lot healthier. The only downside to this, though, is that we make multiple trips to the store a week because food expires rather quickly...

Chris and I also bought a car. When we arrived, we thought we wouldn't need one, but after living here about 3 weeks, we decided it wasn't an option. The taxis were sometimes hard to come by, and when we did ride in one, we mostly feared for our safety. They rarely had seatbelts, they drive like banchees, and well, they smelled. The last taxi ride that we took, the driver actually told Chris to buckle up, and it's a good thing he could (no seatbelt in the back for me). We had one crazy ride back from the licensing bureau to our home... Needless to say, we are happy to be writing this blog right now.

Well I think that's enough ranting for today. Though Chris isn't the writer in this partnership, he sends his love and will post something soon! Love to you all. We will write soon...

insh'allah.

Business

2008-09-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Walking down the streets in Al Ain, I cannot help but feel like I am in the middle of a bad part of the city. It’s not that Al Ain is dangerous because there is absolutely no crime (literally), but the signs for the businesses make me feel like I am in a trashy, flashy, splashy part of town. They are not sophisticated; they are bold and tacky...But it is like this EVERYWHERE and for EVERY BUSINESS! It’s so bizarre. We walked around for a few hours the first week we were here, trying to find a restaurant, but I didn’t want to go into any of them because they had these huge neon signs. It’s been a big challenge for me to look past the tawdry signs and literally not judge the places by their covers... (By the way, the restaurant we did go to with the big neon sign was amazing.)

Al Ain

2008-09-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Al Ain in Arabic means “The Spring.” It is a natural oasis! Desert (sand—not like Arizona desert) surrounds us on every side. To the south, there is desert that stretches all the way to Yemen, and they call it the Empty Quarter. The border between the UAE and Yemen is unofficially “official.” They haven’t actually set up border crossings, etc., because there is NO life, no roads, and no people that travel that way. If we want to go to Yemen...we fly.

Al Ain is difficult to describe. Every street in the town center looks similar, and it is only by its themed roundabouts (there is a giant jewelry box, a clock, a globe, etc.) that we are able to tell which street we are on. There are hundreds (bit of an exaggeration) of tailors, Lebanese restaurants, banks, travel agencies, and gas stations on each street in Al Ain. The people drive like madmen, and I don’t think that there are many laws, let alone policeman on the roads. We have come to see that stop lights are just suggestions (only if there are people at the crosswalk will they probably stop) and stop signs are just a congestion point that people butt their way through.

We haven’t decided about getting a car yet... The city has cheap taxis, but fighting with the Emirate people for them has been a learning experience. There are no such things as lines or queues in the UAE. It is survival of the fittest, and needless to say, Chris and I learned very quickly to just jump right in. One night we went to Carrefour (similar to Wal-Mart/Tesco). We bought groceries for the next few days, and apparently, we went during the busiest time of the night. People pour out of their homes during the nights. We waited 45 minutes for a taxi. There were a lot of taxis available, but people would seriously accost the taxis and the people getting out. Finally, one taxi driver pulled right up to us, and he said he had seen us the time before he had picked someone up... After this, Chris and I decided two things: 1) NEVER go out past 7:00 pm (without our own transportation) and 2) Learn to be more assertive...

For us so far, Al Ain has been a plethora of contradictions. The people are pushy and impatient, yet they are lazy and unpredictable; the town can be completely dead during prayer time and look like it’s been invaded an hour later; and so many more...

While this might sound a bit negative, it really isn’t. It has been a great learning experience and a huge stretch for both of us. When we studied abroad, we were both going to countries that had similar values and traditions, and Al Ain is grossly different from the Western world. We are happy here, though, and we are happy to be here versus Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Although a bit chaotic, the town still feels small, welcoming, and charming...

We have made it!

2008-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

7 suitcases, 24 hours of traveling, and 2 very jet lagged people later...
We have arrived!

However, we are not going to spill everything just yet.

We promise to update this more thoroughly once we get internet. Currently I (Shannon) am standing at our windowsill, stealing internet from some WiFi connection outside... Due to uncomfortable arrangements, I am afraid our first blog will be more of an excuse to keep you waiting...if anyone actually reads this =)

But to be brief, we are having a lovely time. It is everything we thought it would be and some. The people, food, service, etc., are fantastic! We have settled in well to our little community. Our first day of induction was today, and the school is unbelievable. The resources are unlimited; the staff is cohesive and friendly; and everything is working out well...

The only glitch--internet. September 1 marks the first day of Ramadan. It is the holy month in which all Muslims fast, and the work day becomes almost obsolete. We will still be in school, but our schedule is much shorter--we finish every day by 1:00.

Well I could keep typing for hours, but my hands are aching from this angle, but we promise to post pictures soon and write all about this!

Love to you all!

Welcome!

2008-07-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

We decided to create a blog to keep everyone updated with our adventures after the wedding! If you do not know, we are moving to the United Arab Emirates around August 19. We hope to have internet soon at our apartment there, and we will update this regularly.

Love,
Chris and Shannon