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