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.