Creatures Everywhere

With the heat come many creatures! I can't stand it. I don't do well with creatures. Never have. Never will! Pretty much everyday on our walks, Benny & I encounter at least one lizard. I jump and scream every time one scurries in front of us. My jumping and screaming get Benny excited, so he starts jumping on me and barking. The lizards are not very big, but I am still scared of them.

While Scott's been in Virginia, I decided to keep myself busy by cutting the grass. Notice I did not say, mow the lawn. I cut the grass with hedge clippers. I decided to cut the largest of the three areas of grass we have. I did it in 10-minute chunks because it is sooooooo darn hot here. It took a total of about 3-hours. It was worth it in the end. Today, I figured I would cut another section. Before starting to cut, I watered the third section. I was watering the flowers within that section and then all of a sudden a mouse ran out. I pretty much had heart failure! I dropped the hose, screamed, jumped, and ran in to the house. Benny was right behind me. The mouse ran in the opposite direction, the driveway. I wouldn't have cared except that the kitchen door is over there and Benny's doggy door was open. I ran to the kitchen & locked the doggy door. It's been locked all day. It will be locked all day tomorrow. Benny will have to hold it until I get back from work. I'm not risking a mouse getting in here! Scott will need to do a thorough look around the house and convince me it's safe. He thinks I'm nuts anyway.

The flies here are so annoying. They are so persistent. I can shoo a fly away 20-times before it leaves me alone. They're much smaller than our flies, although once in a while I see these gigantic flies with red eyes. Those flies don't hover around me & annoy me. They usually fly away when I get close. I'm sick of the flies.

Benny has been enjoying the cut grass. Today I caught him laying in the sun, smelling the air & then collapsing asleep. He has such a tough life.

My new favorite fruit is the mangosteen. It's not what you're thinking. It's not a Jewish mango! Just kidding. It's a fruit from Thailand. Scott & I heard about it on TV over here. It's a purple fruit. Apparently the purple fruits have the highest amount of antioxidants in them. I stumbled upon them at the grocery store and bought about a dozen of them. The Indian guy in the produce section helped me out. I didn't know how to pick them. Anyhow, you cut open the purple peel and 6 wedges of a white fruit are inside. They feel slimy and squishy. The largest wedge has the seed in it. They are absolutely delicious. I've never tasted anything like it. It's tart yet sweet. The texture is almost that of a peach. I can eat 6 at once. They are not sold fresh in Northern America because of fear of the fruit fly infecting our crops. So, we will enjoy them while we are able to over here.

There was a chicken pox outbreak at school last week. Fortunately, I had them when I was 23. A horrible experience but I'm glad I got them over with! Unfortunately, not one of my students went out with them. Bummer! I am feeling the length of this school year now. I want it over. We have about 3-weeks left. I don't think they'll pass quickly enough. I'm ready for a break. The kids are ready for a break. The parents are ready for a break. This heat doesn't help. It's so bad. It was 114 last Tuesday!

Scott called and went over all the stuff he bought while in Virginia. Of course, he bought a few extra things. He claims that I always buy extra junk, but he's just as bad! I'm excited to have him home tomorrow. It's tough being alone so far away from friends and family. Luckily I have my side-kick, Benny boy!

The Pleasant Heat

We are now experiencing what's known as the pleasant heat. There is nothing pleasant about this heat. It has been over 100-degrees all week. The water coming out of the faucets is ALWAYS HOT. No need to turn the cold water on. I think brushing my teeth with water this temperature has been the worst, so far. Warm water would be tolerable but hot water is torture! Apparently, the temperature goes up to as high as 130-degrees. I don't know how I will be doing at that point. I'll let you know.

Scott leaves for Virginia on Tuesday. I will be alone yet again. He'll be gone for just under a week. The only positive thing about him going back to the states is that he can pick-up a whole bunch of things we need here & can't really find. Oddly enough, the most important thing we need is a door stop. They are non-existent here. We looked for some while in Italy and found a sort-of door stop. We need the real thing! He also needs to get some furniture stain to repair the dresser I burned a hole in and of course he needs to get Benny boy a bunch of treats.

Work is good. I told my kids that Scott installed a hidden camera in the room & that I record everything and watch it at the end of the day. I had to tell them this because I need to leave the classroom periodically for a minute or two. Each time I've done this, I've come back to a bunch of wild animals. Now things are great when I leave the room. The best part which cracks me up is randomly, throughout the week, one of the kids will raise their hand to inform me they've discovered this non-existent camera. Apparently, it's the head of a nail in the wall, a hole next to the white board and even a crack in the ceiling. They are going crazy trying to find it. It's pretty funny stuff. I have to be very serious when I talk about the camera. I want to laugh the entire time. Their faces are priceless. I had the mother of one of my kids tell me that her son told her about the camera. I immediately thought, oh ____! She went on to say that she knew it wasn't true and that she thought it was the smartest thing to tell her son. She knows how nutty he & all his little sidekicks are.

The principal came up to me Thursday (which is our Friday) and told me that an American man was coming to the school & she wanted to show him my room. I said fine & pretty much forgot about it. At the end of the day, there he was. He just moved to Bahrain 2-months ago & his wife & kids were coming in the summer. One of his sons will be in the 3rd grade next school year. He wanted to ask me about the school. I was honest with him and told him the positive & negative stuff. Funny what a small world this is. He is also from LA. We talked about so many things and places we had in common. He also lived in Memphis for a few years. I finally asked him what he was doing in Bahrain and he told me that he's a professional basketball coach. He's here to coach one of the Bahraini professional teams. I had absolutely no idea they had a professional, let alone any type of basketball team here. I was really shocked. Anyhow, he told me to look for his son's name on my roster next year & that Scott & I would be attending many basketball games this coming season. I'm pretty excited about that!

Benny's fine. He's as dramatic as ever. No swimming lessons this week. We just didn't have the time. I've had a pretty bad cold which has just made the last few days miserable for me. Benny's not enjoying this heat very much, poor guy. At least he stays in an air-conditioned house all day. He's a lucky dog compared to the ones I see out on the streets. My heart breaks when I see them!

All in all it was a pretty calm and uneventful week. I like it when things are calm & uneventful. Until next week, stay well!

Culture is a Four-Letter Word

Thursday was my class's much anticipated Culture Day Celebration. We had been studying different cultures of the world. From America to China to Europe, we traveled all over the place in class and learned quite a bit about different cultures and their traditions. I tiptoed around the religion section and pretty much told them to ask their parents or Islam teacher any questions related to religion. The staff has been very clearly informed that we are not to talk about religion with the kids.....at all! Funny, though, the mother of one of my students told me that her daughter loves having me as her teacher, "Even though you are a Christian." Can you imagine someone telling you that? What if the table was turned? I often have to remind myself of where I am and with whom I am speaking.

Back to the party........the kids brought in food for the party. To this group, culture means FOOD. My goodness! We had a feast for about 100 people. The home cooked food was amazing. These mothers really went all out. The mothers here are very competitive. I know they were trying to outdo each other with the food they sent. It was fine by me, because I enjoyed every bite! I couldn't stop eating the sweets. The guilt I felt afterwards was horrible! I, of course, brought in an American dish. I thought and thought about what I could make. Then it hit me. What's the most American food out there that 8-year-olds love? Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, of course! My kids see me eating it everyday for lunch and always ask about it. Now was their chance to try it. I had Scott bring home some Wonder white bread, Jiffy peanut butter & Welch's strawberry jelly. I made a dozen sandwiches, cut them in quarters, and placed them in a tin tray. The kids gobbled them up. They LOVED them! What was more amazing was that the secretaries & school counselor popped in (they can smell food a mile away) and asked about the sandwiches. I explained what they were and how popular they are in the US with kids & adults. After some lip pursing and chin crunching they decided to give them a try. They went "nuts" over them! Now I know what to take to any potluck I'm invited to over here. Can't get easier than PB&J.

Benny is doing fine! He has been "swimming" three more times since his video debut. I guess we could say that he is a little more comfortable in the water. He still has to be carried in by Scott. We have tried everything we can think of to get him in on his own. Oh well! The good news is that now he knows how to swim towards the steps to get out instead of clinging to the side of pool. Poor guy! Scott has been doing a great job with the chicken.

Scott & I are well. We are starting to boil. Much of our time is spent indoors now. It's just too miserable out. Luckily, there are these great malls and super centers to spend the day in. I love grocery shopping in the super centers. They bring food in from all around the world. The cookie and cracker choices are so interesting. We'll miss having these unique treats. The frozen appetizer style food is also so good. We get a lot of Middle-Eastern stuff as well as some Indian. The restaurant choices here are plentiful. There's everything form TGI Friday's, McDonald's, KFC, BK, and Subway to amazing Middle-Eastern, Persian, and Turkish restaurants. We, of course, eat at the latter. We can't get enough of this stuff. Who would eat at BK when you can have lamb kabobs with amazing sides?

The Military Working Dogs here wear special booties so that their pads don't blister when they walk in this heat. It was recommended that we get some for Benny. We ordered him a set. We'll be trying them out soon. Scott put one on Benny the other day and he was running around on 3 legs. He wouldn't put that paw down. He looked like a fool! I hope it works out. I think about all the stray dogs I see here everyday. It's so sad. Now that it's so hot, I feel horrible when I see them. They must be so thirsty! I hate that they treat dogs like this here! I hope Benny realizes how lucky he is, that fatso!

Swim Lessons

Last weekend was report card day! I met with all but 2 of my students' parents. As expected, they came and went as they pleased. No concept of following a schedule. This time, I was prepared for this. I did not pull out any files until I knew who I was meeting with. Overall it was very positive. I felt great afterwards. My first attempt at being a classroom teacher has been a huge success. Who'd have ever thunk it? I found out that I'll be teaching 3rd grade again next year. I'll be getting a whole new batch of wild creatures to tame & whip into shape! I'm up for the challenge.

The school administration was working on overdrive last week because the US team from Philadelphia was coming to observe and see if the school still meets the US standards & would continue to receive US accreditation. All of a sudden we were given name badges to be worn at all times. A school mission statement was suddenly posted in each classroom & we all received first aid boxes. Most importantly, my classroom air conditioning system was finally fixed. It's amazing how things get done when you know you're going to be evaluated. Apparently all went well & the school should find out in October whether or not it will still be accredited. I hope so, otherwise I'll be out of a job.

Just an observation.....The majority of women here wear an abaya, which is the black "robe" style covering that covers their body as well as their head. I'd say about 60% of the women here wear it along with the head covering, but their face is shown. Another 20% wear it with their body, head & face covered (with the exception of their eyes). The rest wear regular clothes. My understanding is that the purpose of the abaya is to ward off unwanted attention. So, I'm curious why the abaya's now come decorated? Some are covered in rhinestones along the sleeves & hem as well as the head covering. Some have bright colored designs stitched on. Some are very, very elaborate. To be honest, these draw attention. Isn't that NOT supposed to happen? Seems a bit hypocritical to me. But, what do I know?

On the home front, things have been quiet. Our new maid, Alita, is not as good as Mary, but she's working out. The nice thing is that she comes while I'm at work, so I come home to a clean house & she's not around to talk my ear off! Who knows what she and Benny talk about?

I left a candle burning upstairs the other night and it burned a huge spot on our dresser....I should say our landlord's dresser. I was so freaked out when I realized what happened. To think I could have started a fire! I was really scared. The good news is that Scott has a new project. He has to repair the dresser before we leave. It's been a tough task so far. We haven't been able to find any wood stain yet. We looked in a couple of places, but no luck. At least it gives Scotty something to do during his free time.

Benny's good. He had his first official swim lesson last week. He's probably the only Labrador out there that's afraid of water. We adopted him at 4-months. We think whoever had him initially used to spray him with a hose. Until now, he freaks out when he sees a hose. He also freaks out with fly swatters, so we think something happened to him with a fly swatter as well. Anyhow, the swim lesson was OK. As you can see in the video (bottom of this posting) all he wanted to do was get out. Poor guy! Scott was very patient with him. Scott took him in again yesterday (by force) and he did much better. He wasn't as freaked out this time. Little by little we'll keep taking him in. He loves to splash around at the beach, but is terrified of the pool. Kind of like me :)

On a personal note, I go in for my ct scan this coming week. Most of you know that I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma 9-years-ago. I have to have annual scans just to make sure things are still good & clear. I'm always nervous and anxious when I have to have this done. Any prayers & good thoughts are welcome and appreciated!