Thanksgiving Far and Away

Greetings fom the Middle East!

Most Thanksgiving holidays you will find me bustling about the kitchen basting the turkey or maybe peeling enough mashed potatoes for a small army.  This year I knew it would be quite different.   I was really missing my family.  Sitting around and staring at my four walls wasn't going to be an option!  There are always people to cook for.  They might not be your family, but sharing a home-cooked meal, especially during the holidays, is one of the finer things in life.  So a friend and I each roasted an eight pound turkey and made dressing and gravy.  We put up a sign in the elevators that Thanksgiving dinner would be served at two o'clock and to please bring a dish to pass.  Twelve people showed up. We had a beautiful meal, great conversation, and most of us staggered away from the table stuffed as we have ever been back home.  I was just thinking that a year ago at this time, eating Thanksgiving dinner in an apartment basement in Kuwait was about as far from reality as I could get.  A year ago most of us didn't even know each other, but here we all were, far from home, but enjoying a beautiful and memorable meal.  Sitting around the table that afternoon we had people from four countries: Cananda, New Zealand, Brazil, and the United States.  States represented included California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Iowa.  It was pretty interesting trying the different regional specialties.  This was the first of many more holidays spent away from home.  I am already looking forward to the Fourth of July.  I plan to be home for that one!

What a great time!

International Day

Every year Universal American School sponsors a fundraiser called International Day.  Various clubs and classes put up booths and tents and serve food from countries all over the world.  There are many, many restaurants in Kuwait that specialize in food from various countries around the world, so finding the food to serve is never a problem.  You might be interested to know that in the American tent they seved up hot dogs, (beef, of course) chips, and Pepsi.  What, no apple pie!  Boy, everything was either deep fat fried or soaked in honey...that, of course, didn't stop me from sampling much more than I should have.  And, of course, I couldn't turn down that hot dog.  That would be down-right un-American!

A tent filled with Kuwaiti young people doing traditional drumming.

My Classroom

My last school was in Baxter, Iowa.  I taught K-12 vocal music there for nine years.  The band instructor, Christine Heintz, and I shared a room.  Finally, after all these years I have a classroom of my own!  No offense to my dear friend, Christine, but having a classroom totally dedicated to elementary music is quite wonderful!  I didn't have room to bring much stuff for my walls, I had to create everything from scratch, although I will say I got a little help from Pintrest!  I've been working at this for a couple of months.  All my old stuff was pretty shop-worn, so I guess starting from scratch was probably a good thing.  

When I first walked into the room, it was pretty much a big train-wreck.  It had been a few years since they last had a "real" music teacher.  I guess I'm a scarce commodity in this part of the world.  The up-side to that, is that they treat me very well here!  The down-side is that I had a lot of re-organizing to do.  The equipment is great.  There's more Orff instrumnents than I have ever had and a wonderful Kawai piano.  Finding all the great stuff was like going on a treasurer hunt...new things to unearth each day.  

Problem was, there was a lot of old, useless electronic equipment that is hard to dispose of.  I hate looking at piles of old cords, speakers, and stuff I don't even know how to describe, so I decided we would moves shelves and bookcases around and create some storage space.  Now I have this wonderful walk-in storage area.  I will let these before and after pictures tell the rest of the story.

So much junk!

What a mess.

What to do with all this stuff!

What's up with the green ladder?

That metal cabinet had to go!

Welcome!

Tone syllables and hand signs

"If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing."

A well-equipped classroom.  Glockenspiels on the tables in the back.  Storage behind the grey cabinets in the back.

"Music Is For Everyone"

Goodbye dear friends.  Enjoy your families this Christmas.

Blessings,

Charlotte

First Quarter

I had a nice chat the other day with the superintendent who hired me.  He asked me a rather pointed question, "Do you still think you made the right decision?"  It got me to thinking about that snowy weekend in February; the day of the Overseas Teaching Fair in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  After the first day of interviews I was pretty sure I would have at least three offers, which I did.  One offer was to teach elementary music at a school in the Marshall Islands.  I really liked the superintendent and the small school that he descibed sounded like the American school systems I have always taught in.  The drawback was that there is no cell phone service and after school hours, teachers have to go to the cafeteria to use the internet.  Also, I have come to find out that the sea has been encroaching on the islands and fresh water has become an increasingly scarce commodity.  I'm really glad I didn't accept that position.  The internet here was pretty bad for a couple of weeks and I was not happy!  I was having to trek about a mile to the nearest McDonalds to use their wifi to talk to my family.  My family enjoyed the Middle Eastern atmosphere, but I'm afraid if that had continued, I'd find myself at the local tailor getting all my clothes let out a few inches!  The other school that offered me a position was another school here in Kuwait.  The superintendent was from Iowa and I know I would have enjoyed working for her.  The school had two other elementary music teachers and I would head the small department.  It soulded perfect, but the only drawback was that teacher housing was about twenty miles from the school.  Come to find out, those teachers get on a bus at 6:30 every morning for a 45 minute commute.  I've been doing a 50 minute commute for the past nine years.  When I heard that Universal American School provided apartments the street from the school, my decision was made.  I canceled the two interviews I had set up for schools in China.  The cost of living is extrememly high in China and the smog was terrible.  So here I am.  Nine weeks down and three more quarters to go.  I'm still standing!

      The The vegetable market at the Old Souk

I had my first program last week.  I'm not sure if they have ever had elementary music programs here.  Nobody could remember if they had, so I guess now is as good a time as any to start.  I sat down with the principal and we decided to have one program every nine weeks.  This last program involved the five sections of first grade.  I chose a few Halloween songs and fingerplays and created an Orff arrangement of a Halloween song I found in one of the music series books.  The hard part was getting the students prepared for a performance with just one music period every six days.  And trying to schedule the auditorium and custodians to set up sound and lights and unlock various doors was a particular challenge.  You can't just walk up to a custodian and ask them to help you.  You have to have a work order signed by your principal and fill out a form to give to the person who schedules the auditorium who will check if the date is open and make the necessary arrangements.  I was sure I had done that about a month ago, but on the day of the performance, of course, the auditorium and cafeteria doors were still locked and no one was in sight.  Apparently, the custodian did not have a filled out form with my requests, although I was told by the person in charge of scheduling the auditorium that she would tell Philip what I needed.  He did not have the form, but he was kind enough to let it go THIS time.  Whew!!!    

The Gulf of Arabia taken from the balcony at the Embassy Suites Hotel

 This program had to be scheduled during the day.  If you want an evening concert, you have to contact the ministry of education about nine months ahead of time and hope it gets approved.  So we will have our programs during the day.  The attendance was rather sparce, but I think that when parents see that we are actually having live performances more people will start attending.  We also limited each student to just two guests because we didn't want to run out of space.

The program was very well received.  Parents were proud and kids had fun singing and dancing for the crowd.  I am glad to have that first program behind me, now on to program number two for the second 

grade.  I wish I had pictures if the program to show you, but snapping pictures wasn't on the top of my agenda that day!  

I will leave you with a few shots of my favorite places in Kuwait.   

   

another shot of the Gulf of Arabia

     

Al Hamra at Night

Blessings,

Charlotte

                                            

Random Thoughts

Sad Farewells

This was going to be a mostly fluffy piece about new and interesting places and out and about in Kuwait and then I decided to write a very honest piece about the realities of overseas teaching.  Many people choose to teach overseas for a variety of reasons.  I know many very fine teachers who possess a sense of adventure and teach in one part of the world for a couple of years and then off they go to a new assignment, ready to experience a whole new culture.  Then there are those teachers like me.  A year ago I never dreamed of teaching overseas and then one day I was called in to the superintendent's office and informed that he had made budget decision to cut the music staff in half, thus eliminating my job.  For many of us older teachers, we chose to come here because we still possess the heart of an educator and aren't ready to retire. Many schools in the American school system prefer to hire younger teachers.  This is also true of Cananda, the UK, and parts of Europe.  

A view of the Freedom Towers from the Old Souk

I have told many of you in personal emails that overseas teaching is not for the faint of heart.  Two of my fellow teachers who started with me were sent home last week.  Some days I feel like I am in some surreal Middle Eastern teacher bootcamp.  The new classroom teachers have really struggled.  UAS is an enormous school system; at least enormous by my small town Iowa standards.  A new position in any new school system is a challenge.  There is a new grade program and edline to master, and many new routines and procedures unique to a large school system in the Middle East.  Combine that with jet lag, culture shock, and living in what is pretty close to a college dormitory with the people you work with everyday.  This can be a recipe for a disaster if you aren't careful.  If you come here with a large amount of personal baggage and you lack a healthy support system, it will be very difficult to succeed.  I thank God for my dear friends and family who send me emails and hometown updates.  You know who you are and I thank you for that.  You keep me sane and grounded.  I love finding your messages in my inbox! 

Loxshmi, my maid for my classroom.  She also escorts my little ones to the bathroom.

Blessings

I love my new job.  I don't have to deal with most of the issues that challenge the classroom teachers.  I have challenges of my own.  There's the names!  In one class alone I have an Abdullah, Abdullahziz, Abdullahrachman, Abdullahwahab and probably another one I forgot!  I know one classroom teacher who told us she tells the Mohammeds to line up, Abdullahs next, then the Jousefs and that about takes care of half the class.  She has a wonderful sense of humor and has us all rolling on the floor with laughter.  Thank God He gave us all a sense of humor!

My style of teaching seems to suit the students here.  For many years I have lined up my students before they enter my classroom and greet them musically, then they sing back to me.  It calms them down and gets them ready to enter my little world after a four flight trek from above.  And then I have my little star class reward system.  The class earns a maximum of five stars through good behavior and participation.  Sometimes an individual earns a star for the class on his or her own.  And then there are the bonus stars...I'm sure you get the picture and then the final star is earned when they line up quietly.

This is all reported back to the teachers and they can add marbles to the jar or whatever reward system they use.  It works pretty slick.  I wish I thought of it years ago!  

I have made some wonderful friends here.  There's my friend who regularly drags me out of my coccoon into an an adventure into the streets and alleyways of Kuwait after a long week at school.  I have met a fellow quilter who invited me to join a quilting group here in the city.  She is a very accomplished quilter and I hope to learn a lot from her.  I have a group of young teachers who invited me to a birthday party at a very chic exclusive restaurant.  I opted out of the bowling activity.  No sense in embarrassing myself!  And then there's the wonderful couple from Goergia who brought their second grade daughter and son who is a juinior in high school.  We first met at the Overseas Teaching Fair in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  My counterpart in the music department has successfully taught here many years and she takes me to church each Friday.  There are my fellow "newbies" who were part of our FaceBook group that was assembled to help us navigate through the reams of red tape we had to navigate to get our visas.  It was quite a process.  We are permanently bonded!

A Trip to the Tailor

I have lost weight since I have been here.  I have no idea how much since I don't own a scale, but one of the new pairs of pants I bought in August fit me like clown pants!  I didn't bring my sewing machine, so I hired a local tailor to alter them for me.  He charged me the equivalent of $5.00.  Cheaper than buying new pants.  He did a great job, so I'll be bringing him more work to do!

Part of the reason I have lost weight is because grocery shopping is such a chore.  I mostly get my food from the local co-op (a government subsidized grocery store).  It's a couple of blocks from my apartment, but I never buy more than I can lug home.  The other reason is all the walking I do.  I don't take a taxi unless where I am going is truly not within walking distance.  And my classroom is four flights of stairs below the elementary office and I'm too impatient to wait for an elevator.  We have two and one isn't very reliable.  A friend of mine got stuck once, so I make it a rule not to use them unless its above the 5th floor or I have a load to carry.

A view of the many flights of stairs in my building.

Until Next Time...

I promise not to write so much in y next blog.  We have a week break so I have extra time on my hands.  It is the Muslim holiday of Eid.  I'm sure many of you are jealous because I have this nice break, but you will have the last laugh when you are enjoying your summer vacation and I'm still slogging away in the classroom until the middle of June!  

I bought some baskets from this gentleman at the Old Souk

This is an amazing time in my career.  God could see how life was pressing me down and leaving me weak and exhausted.  It seems that in His infinite wisdom, he plucked me out of Iowa and inserted me into this little corner of the Middle East.  Each day I pray for wisdom and discernment and I ask to be a blessing to the lives I touch.  

God's blessings to all of you, my friends.

Charlotte

Settling In

Greetings from the Middle East!

Now that I've been here about a month, my life here in Kuwait has fallen somewhat into a routine.  The teachers have to clock in by 7:00 am.  School begins at 7:45.  This is a very hot climate, so I'm sure that is the reason for such an early start for the school day.  So I am up at 5:15, well actually 5:30 because I always press the snooze button.  I start the coffee pot and get ready for my day. I try to be out the door by 6:45 and take my leisurely stroll across the dusty parking lot and go through the gates to "thumb in."  We have an electronic time clock here at UAS that reads our thumb prints after we put in our code.  There's about 180 teachers and administrators on the staff, plus all the office people and support staff.  I imagine that's a lot of people to keep track of.  If we don't get thumbed in by 7:00 am, we have our pay docked about 5 KD I'm told.  One day I thumbed in, but I kept getting denied. So I went to the central office and we checked the code to make sure I had the numbers correct.  Well, that day I had my right arm full of stuff I was carrying, so I used my left thumb.  The machine didn't recognize my left thumb!  Of course, if you thumb in, you also have to thumb out and that is where I have trouble remembering correct procedures, especially when I stay late and the school is somewhat deserted.  

   This is Abdullah, the copymaster supreme!  Just one of the three copy machines he uses

    prints about 80,000 copies a week and goes through nearly three canisters of toner.

I have morning duty on day 1, 2, and 3.  My job is to attempt to keep order among the roughly 400 students in my zone.  They usually stream in between 7:00 and 7:15 am.  Many are brought to school by their drivers or nannies. Heaven help me if these children decide to rise up in rebellion.  I don't even own a whistle!  My favorite mental snapshot is of a very handsome, well groomed Kuwaiti father in his flowing robe and white starched headress accompanying his little preschool daughter to school.  In one hand is his little girl skipping along beside him.  In his other hand is a pink My Kitty lunch bag.  So cute!  

I have two classes of preschoolers each day.  Wow!  I had two bawling three year old boys yesterday.  I think they were competing to see who could give Mrs. Kluever the biggest headache!  One eventually worked himself into a big enough fit to throw up all over my carpet.  I was not happy!  Occasionally we have an escapee. Thankfully, we have maids on the floor.  Yes, maids, not custodians.  One of the duties of the maids is to take the little ones to the bathroom and sometimes that also includes rounding up the random child who heads out the door.  I promise you, I'm not torturing these three year olds!  Some of these little ones have not been very acclimated to the outside world and have problems adjusting to a new environment.  Some of these children actually do enjoy coming to music!

The students generally speak English.  It isn't their native language.  Arabic is usually spoken in the home and they have an hour of Arabic class each day.  That may vary with the younger students.  There is an entire staff of Arabic and religion teachers.  English is the second language for most of these students, so when you give directions, they don't always process everything you tell them.  It's really an adjustment for some of the more experienced classroom teachers.  The students are bright and teachable, however, there's an extra barrier to cross to help these children achieve what would be expected of children in the states.  

I teach seven classes of music each day.  Nursery, preschool, and kindergarten meet for thirty minutes and the rest of the classes meet for 40 minutes in a six-day schedule.  The day goes by very quickly, but I don't have much time for lunch.  I don't eat sandwiches because I try not to eat much bread, and have haven't seen much good lunch meat anyway.  The first day I used the microwave, but I was late for class.  I'm in the basement and the teacher's kitchenette kitchen is four floors up.  The elementary office is also on that same floor.  Who needs a stairmaster when the elevators are slow and one of them has a mind of its own?  Yesterday I counted seven times going up and down those stairs.  Boy, by the end of the day I could really feel the burn!  

I still can't get used to my workweek beginning on Sunday.  All last Wednesday I couldn't figure out why I was so tired.  Eventually it dawned on me that tomorrow was actually like Friday in the states.

My brain is still back in Iowa.  It will get to Kuwait when it's good and ready!  

Tomorrow is Saturday and many of the elementary teachers, including myself, spend a good part of the day in our classrooms.  I'm still getting my room to look like a classroom, as opposed to a large junky space with very white walls.  It's gradually getting there.  Those of you who know me from my nine years at Baxter, Iowa, know that the band director, Christine, and I shared a classroom.  We made the best of the situation, but it is pure pleasure having my own classroom.  I didn't have enough space in my luggage to bring much bulletin board stuff, so I'm pretty much having to create everything new that I put on my walls.  My old stuff was getting a bit shop-worn, so it was time for some updates anyway.  I will post before and after pictures on my blog when I'm done.

   A skywalk over a busy highway we came across on a Saturday excursion.o

Yesterday was the fourth Thursday of the month, which means the students can wear street clothes instead of uniforms.  My goodness, the colors and variety were dazzling!  All these little girls were coming up to me during my morning duty to show off their beautiful dresses. I told one little girl that she looked like she was in a flower garden.  She told me her mother was a fashion designer.  She designed the fabric and made the dress for her daughter.  It looked like a Monet painting.  I felt slightly underdressed that day!

Today is Friday.  My friend and I went to The Avenues, which is a mega mall.  I thought Mall of America

was huge.  It will take all year to explore all the different shops.  Most chain stores you see in the bigger malls back home you will find here, plus chain stores from all over the world. We are trying to make our apartments look a little less like dorm rooms and a little more like a home away from home. Sometimes there are too many choices!  If you see something you like, you better buy it or you may never find that shop again!  We've been there twice and still have barely scratched the surface.  

Tomorrow I will go to school, work on lesson plans and put more stuff on my walls.  Next week will be week number five.  Can't say the time has gone fast.  Everyday presents itself with new challenges and it's own rewards.  I still miss my family, green grass, and the great Midwest.  But my place is now here in Kuwait.  This is a part of God's plan for my life and I will go where it takes me.

Blessings,

Charlotte

Two Weeks In Kuwait

    This is the American Universal School in Kuwait.  A rather imposing large blue building

Greetings From the Middle East!

As of Thursday, September 12, I have taught fourteen days at the Universal School of Kuwait.  We have a six-day schedule.  There are six sections of most classes including Kg-1 and Kg-2.  There are three sections of nursery, which are the three-year-olds.  These little people (which can have very big voices when they are crying) I see twice in a three day cycle.  The other classes I see just once every six days.  Nursery and Kg-1 and Kg-2 I see twice a week for thirty minutes.  The other classes I see for forty minutes once a week.  I teach seven classes each day except on day three where I have planning in the afternoon.  The day goes by very quickly; not much time to catch my breath.

The culture is very verbal, which is a polite way of saying that these children love to talk!  So discipline is very important.  The children are pretty sweet and eager to please, but like my students back home, they need to know what the expectations are.  They also need plenty of gentle reminders and that constant positive reinforcement.  All the classes except for nursery have at least twenty-five students per class.  That is a lot of positive reinforcement in one day!

                    This is Mohammed, our one of our four full time guards.  I feel very safe here.

Adjusting to a large school system is almost as much of a challenge than the whole culture shift.  And the names!  Did you have any idea that there are at least five or six variations of the name "Abdullah?"

There are usually three or four Mohammeds in each class.  Some spelled with "ad" at the end and some with "ed."  There are some Arabic names with sounds that I haven't vocalized since high school German!  But I keep trying.  My students are very patient with their teacher from America.  My rule is that only the owner of the name I mangle is allowed to correct me.  Some of these children are so soft-spoken that I will occasionally make an exception to that rule.  

I have made name cards for all students 1-4.  They are about the size of a large notecards.  They have a large note on each card with their names written across the top; all laminated.  These become their assigned spot and double as a seating chart.  We have practiced the fine art of passing all the cards in correctly so I can put them back down in the same order next time we have class.  We'll see if they remember next week!  When they raise their hand to answer a question, they hold up their cards so I can call them by name, assuming that I remember how to pronounce it!  One of my class rules is "Always try your best."  Learning their names will be my challenge this year!  Someone told me it is impossible and to not even try.  I'll let you know how I'm doing in about nine months!

I know many of you probably chuckled when I mentioned that I would be bringing my beanie baby collection to Kuwait.  After I wrote that, I got to thinking that some of you probably thought I was a serious collector and couldn't bear to leave my little friends behind.  I have picked them all up at garage sales and Goodwill.  I use them in place of beanbags to teach my students beat.  Little did I know that unless these students have traveled to the states, they have never seen beanie babies.  These kids haven't had a certified music instructor for two years, so everybody is working on beat, which can get a little boring for older kids.  You should have seen the eyes of these children of wealth when I opened up my tub of beanie babies. I had fourth grade boys giving their animals kisses before we had to put them back in the tub when it was time to line up!  Who would have thought?

Its been a good two weeks.  I'm gradually getting my feet wet. My colleagues are from all over the planet and have taught all over the world.  Everyday brings new ideas and challenges.  Even the simple act of buying cheese over the counter in the local grocery store becomes interesting when you find out that the man from behind the counter is from Egypt and is delighted to let you try this and that.  It is an amazing experience, but I miss you all. 

Many thanks to so many of you who keep in touch.

Blessings,

Charlotte

                      A view from the rooftop of the teacher's apartment building.

    The building on the left is my apartment building.  I live on the third floor.

                       Goodbye until next time!

         

A New Beginning

Here I am at the gate to our apartment complex.  There is a side and front gate.

Since we stepped off the plane, the people here at Universal American School have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.  They settled us into our apartments right away and all but tucked us into our beds that first night.  The next morning we were given an advance on our first paycheck so we could set up housekeeping, then they put us on a bus and we went shopping.  Of course, the currency is Kuwaiti Dinars which are worth roughly $3.55.  So now I'm trying to do the math so I can be a savvy shopper.  I'm OK with the paper currency, it's all the coins that confuse me.  I guess I had better sit in on a second grade math lesson! 

                 This was the banquet we attended at the American University of Kuwait 

Everyday has been a blur of activities.  We had a lovely dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, ethnic foods at a special luncheon at school, breakfast and lunch served by some wonderful teachers,  and last night a special gathering of new international teachers from across the city at The American University of Kuwait. I can't even describe the feast we were served.  It was spectacular.  The teachers have given us walking tours of the neighborhood.  I feel very safe here.  The shopkeepers are friendly and speak enough English to get us what we need.  I've even managed to get in a cab alone and get to one of the local teacher supply stores.  That was a little out of my comfort zone, but I managed to get where I needed to go.  Most of the cab drivers speak very little English, so you cross your fingers and hope you get to the right place!

I have a very nice efficiency apartment.  Utilities and internet are paid.  It's pretty interesting moving into a tiny apartment when I've lived so many years in a basic three bedroom ranch, huge yard, and many perennials to tend.  It's somewhat liberating not have to worry about the everyday chores involved in taking care of a house and yard.  I don't miss my fifty minute commute, but I do miss the freedom of getting into my car and going where I want to go, when I want to go.  There are always trade offs.  I wouldn't think about getting a car here in Kuwait, although many of the teachers do own cars.  These people drive like maniacs and park all over the side walks.  I prefer to come home on one piece, so I guess I'll be getting a lot of exercise!

     The Friday Market in Kuwait.  There were stalls as far as the eye could see.     

         

I snapped this picture on one of my walks.  In the center you can see one of the minarets from the local mosque.  Can you see how crazy these people park?

My main focus the last ten days has been getting my classroom ready.  This school hasn't had an elementary vocal teacher for two years.  Consequently, the room was pretty much a train wreck.   

I must say, after I got started, I enjoyed the challenge of turning this big space into my own.  I am very happy with the results.  It's the best music room I have ever had, with a wealth of Orff instruments.  It's ready for the students, but I will continue to add some finishing touches throughout the year.  I will post before and after pictures when it's done.  

Tomorrow is the big day.  Our school week is from Sunday until Thursday.  How strange to begin a school week on a Sunday!  In the Middle East, Friday is a holy day.  There are so many differences between east and west, but I suspect that there are just as many things that are still the same.  Kids are kids, rich or poor, east or west. They are the future and they deserve the best education we can offer them.  

I Have Arrived

I would never describe myself as a world traveler, but compared to a week ago, I feel like Hilary Clinton!  The leg of my trip from Chicago to Ammon, Jordan was about thirteen hours.  Not much legroom at all and there was no way I was getting much sleep between the little boy next to me who would occasionally sprawl across my lap and the little boy across the aisle who would let out a blood curdling scream just about the time I would start to nod off.  The term "weary traveler" has now taken a whole new meaning.

View at the top of the escalator at the airport in Ammon, Jordan

We arrived in Ammon at about six pm.  I went to the Royal Jordanian desk and picked up my boarding pass to Kuwait and discovered that I and and the rest of our party had been bumped to the next flight.  It didn't leave Ammon until seven hours later.  So I had some down time, which was actually not too

bad.  It felt great to stretch my legs.  It was eleven pm in Jordan, but I knew it was about the end of the day for my son's class of six graders several thousand miles away in Gibbon, Nebraska.  Back in February when I interviewed at the Overseas Job Fair in Waterloo, Iowa, I had FaceTimed this same class as I was waiting to speak to an administrator at a school in the Marshall Islands.  It was an amazing experience touching base with that same group of students seven months later.  I have to admit, technology is pretty astonishing at times.

The last leg of our journey began at 1:05 AM.  I can't describe the rush of feelings in my heart as the jet  touched down in Kuwait.  So many prayers for a safe journey were answered.  (Thank you, St. Paul Lutheran in Eldora, Iowa!) Ten months ago when I was essentially pink-slipped,  life as I knew it would never be the same.  The uncertainty of my future in education terrifying. In these economic times, older "seasoned" teachers are not always a valued commodity.  In the international community, quite the opposite is true.  There are many of us "over fifties" crowd that are making a fresh start in schools all over the world.  We are ready to hit the ground running!

Lists and More Lists...

I've never been a person to make lists, but that seems to be changing.  There are so many things to be put into place before leaving the country; banking, insurance, what to do with my car, mortgage payments.  The list just goes on and on.  Even as I was typing this, I remembered something else to put on yet another list!  

Then there's the packing.  Imagine trying to pack everything you need to wear for about 10 months in two suitcases!  When I cleaned out my office at school in Baxter, I brought home two carloads of stuff.

That "stuff" consists of nearly nearly thirty years of books, CDs, music games, and bulletin board material.  Not to mention my beloved beanie baby collection!  I can only take enough to put into one small suitcase and a carry-on.  I checked FedEx and UPS.  Their price to send boxes overseas was astronomical.  FedEx told me that the post office was much cheaper.  They were, however, it was about the same as taking another suitcase, so that is my plan.

 

                My last lily of the summer 

It has been in the triple digits in Kuwait the last couple months.  I refuse to complain about the weather. Every time I am tempted to grumble about the heat index, I'm going to remind myself about icy, treacherous, roads during the long, cold Iowa winters.  I have had my share of close calls.   I will not miss winter driving, not one bit!

It has been a summer of goodbyes.  I have been on the receiving end of many wonderful hugs.  I will miss my family and friends more than they will ever know.  But a new chapter in my life has already begun.  I already have a group of FaceBook friends who are also new to UAS.  Then there are my new students!  I have a hard enough time remembering American names.  Oh, the challenges ahead!

You're Going Where?

Greetings to my family and friends!  Most of you know that I will be leaving the country soon.  I will be spending the next two years teaching K-4 music at the Universal American School in Kuwait.  It will be a long way from home, but I am sure it will go by quickly, and I would like to share my experiences with everyone who expressed an interest.

Last fall, our superintendent called me into his office.  He informed me that due to declining enrollment, the music department personnel  would be cut in half.  Since I had the least seniority, I would be the one who would be leaving.  It was panic time.  I have been teaching 38 years and was not ready for retirement.  It's not always easy for teachers my age to get a new job, and with a mortgage hanging over my head and heavens, health insurance...I knew I had to think out of the box.  I had always admired people who had taught overseas.  I decided look into it.

The Overseas Job Fair at UNI has been held every February since the seventies.  Once a year, about 800 teachers from around the globe converge upon the Sullivan Center in Waterloo, Iowa.  Several hundred schools from all over the world are there also, looking teachers and administrators to fill the many job openings available in their schools.  It was three days of interviews and life-changing

decisions to make.  I had three job offers and settled on a school where I could teach just K-4 music.  Even around the globe, it's hard to find elementary music positions.  This school even furnished rent- free apartments across the street from the school, no less!  For a person who has been commuting 90 miles a day round trip for nine years worth of Iowa winters, that apartment across the street was a major selling point!

I accepted the position, now the hard part came...RED TAPE!!!  I had no idea all the hoops I would have to jump through in order to get this work visa. I really wasn't even completely sure what a work was!  It took about six months to get everything done...police clearance, passport, work visa, diploma authenticated, very extensive physical.  I could have done it faster if I would have known what to do.  It's all a matter of talking to the right person, because half the time they don't know what they're talking about and I didn't always know the right questions to ask.  But that part is finally done, now it's time to figure out what to pack!

My family has been great!  They have been my best cheerleaders.  My daughter, Stacia is going to live in my home in Union while she works and begins her paramedic training.  My son, Brett, and his wife, Sara, live and teach in Gibbon, Nebraska.  My son has helped me navigate all the technology I've needed to use to revamp my resume and send documents back and forth to the Middle East. They have a sweet little daughter, Julia,  who was born April 24 who I will miss so much. But thanks to the miracle of FaceTime, I will be able to sing her lullabies and watch her grow.  

I'm now on my "farewell tour."  I'm in Nebraska saying goodbye to my dad and son and his family.  My eighty-nine year old uncle Lyle is close to meeting his Savoir any time now.  Tomorrow we will give each other one last hug, with the knowledge that we will see each other again in heaven.  To God be the glory!  Until next time, dear friends, may God bless.