How to find my house.

Nobody has addresses here. You just have to look out for landmarks. You get good at looking around you.

visiting the camel souk

These animals don't smell or perhaps the dung just dries as it falls and there is no moisture to help the smell grow. Fascinating place. Saw some men riding them back from training for racing - just like horses.

The baby camel (wonder what it is called - a calf, a kid, a ....). Of course it was going to suck my finger just like a calf or a lamb.

School

We introduced "caught being good" to try to improve behaviour during break time. This photo is at assembly with the Principal, the first boys to get a "draw" from the caught being good coupons and myself.

a visit to the Al Ain zoo

Here we have a photo of a typical family at the zoo. We were not sure if the women are all wives or 1 or 2 are wives while the other is the maid. Hard to tell. However the children will be looked after by all the women. Note the man is usually in front of the women and the women all trail behind.

Great way to visit the zoo.

There were a number of families having a picnic there all dressed the same.

My home

What do you think of this? My home from the outside and views from my windows. The photo of the building is a bit hazy as it was so hot my camera lens fogged up. I have a constuction site outside one window. They work there till midnight as it is so hot and they are not eating during Ramadan so they stop work to sleep then eat at 7.00 then start work again. They start in the morning at about 6.30.

Some photos

We went exploring in the desert. The heat was like standing in a fire. We only stayed there long enough to get some photos and then climbed into our air conditioned car again. It was incredible. The umbrella was absolutely ineffective.

September 19th up-date

I must be busier now as I haven't added to this for a while.

I'm now in my own "home". Three bedrooms, a maid's room, 3 1/2 bathrooms as well as kitchen and living/dining room all to myself. I am nine floors up in a building 17 storeys high, in the middle of the tourist area about 10 minutes taxi ride from my school which is very lucky. Some people travel up to an hour to their schools. The apartment is not really finished but I am unsure if they are ever finished. I have 2leaks, no internet, no gas to run the cooker, grouting in the tiles that is dreadful but I am better off than some other apartments. Apparantly these sort of things are a part of living here. It is really nice apart from those things.

My life - I leave for school at 10 to 7 so I can get a taxi. School starts at 8.00 and finishes at 12.20 during Ramadan which goes for another week. After that the school day is longer. Our advisory team are the first ones to school and we are the last to leave (trying to model new habits but no-one has caught on). After school I go to use the internet at someone's apartment, have some snacks because we do not eat at school at the moment (Ramadan) socialise in various ways, have tea out mostly because I can't cook with no oven or cook top. Often after that I go out for a walk either with others or by myself as it is a wonderful time to be out. At 11.00 at night the shops are so busy, there are kids everywhere and the streets are absolutely blocked with traffic and the temperature is much more pleasant. It is extremely safe to be out and none of us have ever felt insecure wandering round at night. It is a wonderful time of the day. I must learn to have a rest during the afternoon as I do get rather tired with the long days. Apparantly the normal time for people - children and adults - go to bed at 1.00 or 2.00 in the morning. Of course many of the teachers are often pretty tired and we have all seen kids asleep in school.

Start of work

Please note a group of us in our work clothes. The skirts are becoming very comfortable and we did have to hit the shops big time to find them. They are in all the shops but, of course, we had to look round lots before hand to decide what to get. Alos note that we are all connected to the internet and the laptops are just as big a part of our lives as they were at home.

Al Ain and the Hilton

We had 2 days of PD at another city - Al Ain where a number of our people are living and working. It was held at the Hilton where we the Abu Dhabi team also stayed. It is an oasis town which is less humid, much greener and no high rise. Have a look! Oh yes the Hilton was about 13 floors high - but very few high rises.

We visited the biggest Mosque in the world which is about 3 years old (details are probably not quite right). Another amazing place of gold and white and colours. It is out of this world. It took 13 years to complete and the grounds are still being completed.

We had to wear the robes of the moslems and have our heads covered. One of these photos is not me but we all looked the same.

making a beach

These two photos are the before and after of a beach. The first one shows the constuction zone as they "make" a beach from the sea - reclaiming the land. The second photo is what the beach looks like after it is made. Gorgeous.

'scuse the non matching texts / photos

Sorry about the text on the blogs not matching the pictures but I haven't figured that out yet. Please match the text with the pictures.

exploring Abu Dhabi

View from Sheridan Hotel room to the beach

We walk each morning at 6.30 along the "cornich" which is the walkway along the beach. The temeratures are in the high 30s so any later is out of the question. I have to go shopping later as I have not got enough cool clothes. We Have found lots of shops but now I need to buy stull.

We are staying in the Sheradon for a time as our apartments refurbishments have not been completed. Believe it or not but we will be excited to get into our apartments as hotel living is a bit of a nuisance. The food is too good, the pool is too hot and the laundry gets taken care of. It will be nice to have a "home" soon. The apartments that we have seen are quite flash. They are in highrise buildings with no opening windows but great views and air con.

Leaving NZ

I thought I was organised but ... when I got to the airport I was way over weight for the plane. I didn't want to fuss but Sonya decided to challenge this. These photos are of Sonya and Tristan emptying my stuff on the airport floor so I could get on the plane without too much of a penalty. They reduced my overweight costs from $1200 to $600. Well done Sonya and Tristan. They got plastic supermarket bags from a shop stuffed them full and took 9kg home. Great team.

There is a moral to the story – don’t use those suitcases with metal frames but plastic or canvas ones with no frames weigh nothing. This little exercise saved $600. How easy was that!!

Aug 4th

I fly to "the other side of the world" later today. I keep having last phone calls to important people but now I keep saying we'll talk soon. That way it doesn't seem so hard.

I am excited about heading away at last but not about leaving people. So I'll just have to think ahead to what is coming.

I am dying to take some photos to share with you all. Next time I visit this blog I will be able to do this.

Must go and finish repacking and resorting. I've done it a number of times already but once more may make a difference - not likely.

August 1st

This has been an amazing day as we meet and find out so much more than anyone knew. What a huge contract these Cogntion people have got and how exciting to be part of it. It is all very new too. Last year 25 people in the Mid East, now 120 will be there by Jan 2009. The way they have treated us is fantastic and the info really responding to our questions. The business is growing so quickly that they are learning on the trot too.

Tomorrow will be another day and then the first people travel and the Aby Dhabi ones on Monday.

Nice laptop too. I have really missed a laptop. Amazing how it has become part of my extended arm.

I'll have another go at setting up SKYPE now. I have it on the laptop but the headset still is not working.

NZPF conference links

website links from speakers at the NZPF conference

http://www.the-breakthrough-coach.com/pages/profile.html

These gorgeous boys

The little boys and everyone else.

I am going to miss these little boys so much. It is going to be hard to say "See you later." to all those people as I leave New Zealand. Thank goodness for photos to remember the fun times we all have.

Time to pack

I have just come home from Central and I started going through the wardrobe. Wow! What a sizable job I have in front of me.