Family Time!!

We finally got to go to Abu Dhabi this weekend to stay with Heather and Cory.  I can't believe we haven't seen them since we got back from summer vacation!  To live so close and not visit more often is NOT acceptable!!  (Of course, now that they have a bed for us to sleep in.....just might make those visits more frequent--ha-ha!!)

We left straight from school on Thursday (12:30.....ah......love it!), so we got there pretty early.  I had an appointment for a haircut and highlights--no more Al Ain hair misfortunes for me!!  Then we headed to El Sombrero for some delish Mexican food!  As usual with the Hendrens and Peisels, there is no get-together complete without some drama.  We got rear-ended on the way home in a 3-car pile-up.  Some nutcases behind us decided to rush through the red light even though we were stopped on the other side and there was no place to go!  We heard the screeching breaks....and then....crunch!  Fortunately, the Peisel's car was only mildly scratched, so we left the scene of the accident.  The car behind us wasn't as fortunate.  Their rear-end was crunched up!  This just reinforced for Kim and me how much we desperately don't want to drive in Abu Dhabi traffic.  Heather and Cory are much better at it--I guess from the years of living in Richmond and Atlanta.

The next day, Friday, was BEACH day for Heather and me!  I've really missed sitting in a beach chair and just reading.  As much sun as I live in, my skin is white as it can be, or at least it was before Friday.  The water was comfortably chilly and, helped along by some frozen Yogurt and fresh chopped fruit, heat was not a problem.  My chair and umbrella was just what I had looked forward to all week.

Ahhhhh....the life!

Kim and Cory took Blue out to a different beach, where we may plan to do some day-long trips later this year.  They said it was perfect for setting up the chairs and grill for a beach cookout and swim.  They also saw dolphins there, so definitely something else to look forward to!

They checked out a few other sights, including the circular Aldar building we watched being built on a TV special.  Here is a picture of Kim and Blue in front of the building.

We also checked out the Central Market Souk--a place we had seen being built on a TV show before we came over here.  Heather and I had looked for it last fall when we got here, but nobody knew what we were talking about.  It was quite nice and had a lovely roof-top garden that we would like to go back to one night.

Outside of the souk--It's all wood and has gorgeous craftsmanship!

Up on the roof

One of the many skyscrapers being built in Abu Dhabi

Rooftop Gardens

That night we ate at the Meat Company--a steak, baked potato, and salad.  I haven't had that since I was home this summer.  We had a great view looking out at the Grand Mosque over the water, with a beautiful sunset.

Beautiful sunset.....beautiful couple!!

On Saturday, I got to hit a couple of stationery stores for some vital classroom supplies before we had to head home.

When I went back to school today, I told my carpool that I was hoping this would be the week that I would have a co-teacher for all 5 days.  So far this year, that hasn't happened.  Then, at morning assembly, guess what.....no co-teacher.  When I asked if she had called in sick, they said no, she had training and should have told me last week that she would be out.  Ha-ha!!  As if......     So, my record continues.....

Random pic from school:

Acting out the number "40" to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the UAE

Kindergarten Life...

So much is happening in the classroom each day!  It is amazing how quickly these students are picking up English!  Thought I'd catch you up on the first month of school.

During our letter "T" week, we learned about toothpaste and brushing our teeth!

The girls especially enjoyed practicing!

The nurse came in to give a talk about staying clean and healthy.

I could tell he hadn't had much practice when he gagged putting the toothbrush in his mouth!!

We checked our blood pressure....

In math, we've been working on numbers 0-10.  We count, sort, and make patterns.

Counting to 10

Matching numbers to pictures

Color Patterns

Sorting colors and counting objects to 10

Practice writing the numbers

Matching shapes

In the role play area, they just got into buying food at the "market."  Play money is a big hit!

Ironing

We've been learning about how to hold a book and how to locate the letters we've been studying.  This week we also learned about a "full stop" or period at the end of a sentence.

In IT, students use the Paint program to make shapes in different colors.

Classroom P.E.

This was "pink" day, so our Head of Faculty got in on the fun with her pink hair.  These 3 girls have earned 10 stars for good behavior, so they get to pick a prize.

Yellow day

Field trip to see art by UAE students about their cultural heritage

On the bus...

We've been learning about "family," and how families love each other.  These girls demonstrate The Barney Song, and their favorite part is "with a great big hug!"

Our Class

Awwww...Looking at art is tiring!!

Letter "i" week:  Insects in Ice

Comparing insects

Drawing the insects and what was observed...

Making "igloos" out of sugar cubes...

Outside play time, otherwise known as Gross Motor Play

Enjoying the slide

Field Trip to Student's Home

Yesterday we took our first field trip.  We are studying about family and home, so one of the mothers volunteered to have the students come to her home for a visit.  It was quite fun.

Anticipation....

Arrival

We loaded up the bus and drove through the neighborhood to Aysha's home.  Her mother and grandmother greeted us at the door.  We went into the Majlis (sitting room) and the children sat on chairs around the room, while the adults sat in the middle of the room on the floor. 

A HUGE room!

Sofas were lined up end to end all the way around 3 sides of the room.  The 4th side held all the serving dishes and food.

Faisal and Mariam sitting nicely.

They served fruit kebabs, doughnuts, pastries, and juice to the children. 

Rauda and Khatera enjoy the kebabs.

Sulaiman, Athla, and Mohammed preferred the doughnuts.

Amna found the perfect spot perched on the arms between 2 of the sofas!

Hamdan practices his writing skills!  :)

They served the adults tea or coffee, pastries, fruit compote, and some kind of noodles.

The remnants of our repast....

The children were well-behaved for the first half hour, and then the novelty wore off, and I was glad they were contained within the one room.  Some kept trying to slip off and head into the rest of the house, but that's not easy to do with the big doors they had to open!  Then, one of the adults handed Aysha a cell phone, so the kids were enthralled by that....

The I-phone holds their attention.  Maybe I should take my I-pad to school so they will be just as attentive to our lessons!  Ha-ha!

As we lined up to leave, each child was given a goodie bag with more candy and treats inside.

Then we headed back to school to eat lunch.  We tried to keep them at the lunch table for 15 minutes to eat their sandwich and juice, but it was a losing battle.  None of them were hungry or thirsty--imagine!!