Jami Caskey blog

Summer 2010

2010-08-20T11:32:00.004-05:00

It has certainly been awhile since I blogged. Depressing. Because there is something about writing to an unknown audience that is inspiring and brings a warm feeling.

Leaving Dubai
What can I say? I did it. I managed to teach four different subjects in Dubai for an entire year. I won't dwell on all the mishaps and difficulties that I encountered in Dubai. I'll file those in my life lessons category but I will truly cherish my time spent with my amazing students. I really have no idea if my students or "girls" have any idea how much I adored them. They were all such third culture kids meaning they went to school in Dubai but travelled all over the globe and knew so many different cultures. Some of them were so smart, entertaining, funny, honest and I will miss them the most along with the wonderful people in Dubai: friends, and colleagues. I mustn't forget how much that I'll miss Cliff-the coffee guy.

I packed up, got everything arranged for departing and left on June 30th. My flights took me from Dubai-Amsterdam. Wish I could have visited Amsterdam during the cool weather with sunny skies but to be honest I had to switch flights so fast that the only thing I had time to do was get questioned by this nice, tall Dutchman.

Next, from Amsterdam I was off to Minneapolis. Right away, I missed the clean food courts of Dubai because Minneapolis, MN, your airport needs a face lift. I went through US customs and the jerk threw away my Dubai snow globe I had bought for my mother. Thanks to sleep deprivation, I started getting all teary eyed when he threw a few of my items. Luckily a kind woman following me through the customs line talked to me, sympathized while comforting me. I felt better thanks to her. Arriving in the states is overwhelming folks. Its similar to arriving on a different planet. With the huge suitcase scanning machines, the men in uniformed suits, etc. And the funny thing is, I am American citizen. Lord only knows how the Spanish exchange students behind me felt like who could not even speak English. Then I was onto Seattle. I was so excited to see my family that I don't even remember the flight.

Home
I had a lot of fun in Seattle. I really love waking up and having coffee with my Mom while watching Good Morning America. I missed Monroe, the adorable Pomeranian my parents have who has more personality than any animal I've ever met. In Seattle, or more specifically the Eastside, I spent each day pounding through to-do lists for the wedding. Just when I would finish one to-do list, a new one would be made and I was off the next day.

The day before my fiance flew into Seattle, I had a COFFEE day. Yep, that's right, I had THREE COFFEE dates. Can you imagine me, three coffees? No! Some where in between I managed to eat but it was a fun last single lady day. I began by going to Cafe Ladro in Bothell with my old pal Roman that I met when I was twenty while working at Trader Joe's. We caught up, discussed his troubled relationship that I think he should give another try, and laughed. He was proud of me and grateful that I was doing something that would bring happiness to my life. As I said good bye to Roman I started to get that rush of emotions. The wave that creeps up when you are least expecting it to. Roman reminds me of my college days and my twenties. Not that I'll never see him again but probably not as much now that I'm a married girl. So that was emotional. I don't know how it crept up on me but as soon as I left my coffee date with Roman the tears started flowing. I realized that my crazy twenties are behind me now and that I might actually consider calling myself a grown up? Roman signified my hip hop concert going, Russian language and literature studying, Trader Joe working, carefree days when I did not owe anything to anyone. Those days are gone I realized. And not that I would ever want to return to them but it still fills you with sadness when an era of your life is slowly passing you like a speeding car on an old country road. I called a few girlfriends who helped me grow through the moment. I realized that by fulfilling all those to do list for my wedding that I had actually forgotten to stop and think about the fact that I was getting married. Yikes.

I also caught up with Sarah, a really wonderful friend from back in the day. I mean junior high folks. We met while playing basketball at Rose Hill Jr. High. Ha! We met up in the University District or U-District. That also brought back memories. O how I love going to the UW. What a beautiful campus. We spent the entire afternoon together and it was so nice. I really hope we will stay in touch. O yeah, we had coffee at Louisa's on Eastlake. They make an amazing vegan cookie!

Last but certainly not least, I met John and Georgie at the U-Village. If anything exemplifies my college days it is having coffee with John and Georgie at Starbuck in the U-Vill. Good times, good times.

Adnan, Awais (his father), James, Kee and Tonja arrived the next day in Seattle and that pretty much started off the chain of events of my wedding. They were relieved to have escaped the Houston humidity and heat wave. They loved the cool Seattle 70 degree weather and the huge trees. More guests started to arrive. The rehearsal dinner was at my parents. We had a huge barbecue. My Dad made sure and stuffed everyone until the women questioned whether they would fit into their dresses.

The Big Day
I was completely calm on my wedding day. I was happy! People kept asking me if I was nervous and I'd respond by saying no, not really. My sister and I started the morning by getting our hair done. Then we headed to the hotel to get ready. Julie pulled out the application on her Google phone that had lines from the movie The Hangover and had me laughing til' tears were pouring out of my eyes. One of my favorites, "is this really Caesar's palace, does Caesar really live here?", "um no sir" the hotel receptionist replies, "I didn't think so". Gotta love The Hangover. Julie and Maddy, my bridesmaids, really actually made my entire wedding memorable. I love them eternally for making me laugh and smile all through out the day!

The wedding was great! Adnan and I sort of became our own wedding planners. After the wonderful ceremony, thanks to Pat, he would turn to me and ask, "okay so should we do our first dance", etc. The only downer was that I did not really have time to talk to my Aunt and cousin who drove all the way from California. That is usually how weddings are though. The bride and groom are moving left and right, front and backwards to complete the list of traditions such as cake cutting (in my case cupcakes) and first dance, etc. It was amazing and when we left and were driving to our amazing hotel we both agreed that it could not have been any better.

Seattle Latte in Dubai

2010-05-05T07:30:00.003-05:00

Last night, I watched a documentary that changed my life. The name: No Impact Man. I was so inspired by No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, and his wife Michelle Conlin, who went with created minimal garbage (waste), no coffee, no grocery stores, no Whole Foods, new clothes or shoes, composting, no automated electricity, eating only from the Farmer's market and six months without electricity, in my book, puts you on the level of sainthood.

I have always been inspired by change, and finding ways as an individual to be a good citizen, individual and do good. Although I am not an animal fanatic (like some of my friends) Skinny Bitch inspired me in November of 2008. I went totally Vegan (diet) for around 6-8 months until my boyfriend asked me to finish his eggs one morning. I caved. Needless to say, the treatment of the animals and the knowledge of all of the chemicals inserted into milk, dairy, animals, etc. put a huge damper on my year. Although no tears were shed, it forced me to further question my impact on this earth. Beef from New Zealand, cereal from Washington State, etc. The carbon footprint was astounding when it comes to food and this marked the beginning of my interests in where food comes from and what I was eating.

When I finalized my contract, packed up to move to Dubai, I first stopped in Seattle to be with my family for a month. The best thing about Seattle is by far the coffee. I knew that I would miss the coffee the most. So I gulped as many lattes as possible before August 14, 2009. Since I knew there was no Whole Foods in Dubai, nor were there the same vitamins, alternative products, etc. I gave up the Vegan diet for awhile in Dubai. There is store here called The Organic Store but it is far from my house and expensive.

For the first half of the school year, I just ate take out a lot, actually I ate what ever was convenient but I felt bad. Awful knowing that so many products are shipped into Dubai from all around the world, never really enjoyed meet (except for the mean kebabs at Barbecue Delight). Then, things changed when I became engaged. I began thinking of the compliments I received when I ate vegan, and how healthy I felt. Since I knew my wedding was coming in a number of months, I tried to eat healthy again. That is what I am working on now (minus an occasional cupcake).

How does this connect to No Impact Man you ask? Well, today, since No Impact Man was on my mind, I went searching online for organic products that are grown here in the UAE. I am going to check out a few and try to begin buying locally, but I also found a really cool coffee company called RAW.

RAW is a Dubai based coffee roasting company that imports only organic coffee that is fair trade. How this company began, I am not sure? Who's idea it was, I dunno? But I am curious. Mostly No Impact Man made me realize that I like to buy locally, not only to feel good but also because I want to feel more like I am part of community. I think it is cool what RAW is trying to do. When I noticed their coffee is sold at Uptown Mirdif (the new mall half way between work and home) I went this afternoon. Sugar Daddy's, a cupcake bakery, sells their coffee. The man who helped me, Cliff, packed up three cupcakes and made me a latte for free when I told him that I had come to try RAW's coffee. I was floored, absolutely astounded as to how this sweet east asian guy, Cliff, had made a coffee that tasted like it was from Seattle. Then he shared with me the fact that his trainer or the "Chef" was from Seattle. I was shocked and I must add a little jealous that I had not thought up the idea of bringing the real latte to Dubai from Seattle. Next time!

Regardless, I plan on getting a hold of the RAW people and visiting their plant. Actually No Impact Man has inspired me to visit farms and learn as much about my coffee and food as I can. I may not be as brave as No Impact Man's wife Michelle Conlin, who gave up coffee, but maybe I will do something once I settle back in Houston. I know there are farmer's markets back in Houston and I'm really looking forward to getting a bike. (Adnan and I will live in the Medical Center so we may be able to bike downtown to the farmer's market?)

For now, I highly recommend the documentary No Impact Man. It may just inspire you to make a change, or learn about something that interests you: food, cupcakes, coffee and maybe, just maybe, you will be led to the best damn Seattle latte in Dubai or maybe someplace even better. Good luck!

April Showers bring ...

2010-04-27T12:48:00.002-05:00

Hello! April 30th, two days from now, marks the two month mark for departure to Seattle. Finding a flight home to Seattle was an adventure in and of itself. Nevertheless, I will be flying, high class coach style from Dubai to Amsterdam to Minneapolis and finally 24 hours after my Dubai departure, Seattle. Although I wish I could just take a week layover in Amsterdam, it is not going to happen! I keep reminding myself. I am looking forward to what hopes to be the cool beginning of summer Seattle temperatures.

It will be sad to leave Dubai. My colleagues here are absolutely amazing. I am always learning from them. Whether it be about a new television series on dvd that I just have to watch (Rome, or Tudors) or the happenings in Dubai for the weekend, they always have some news to share with me. Being such a transient town full of people passing through, fulfilling their contracts only to move onto Asia or Latin America, you can pretty much claim the city as your own once you have maneuvered and learned your way around. I even find myself, only having lived here since August, telling old timers where something is located or a great venue to buy such and such.

I will definitely miss my lovely students, although today I thought I was going to explode on them.

Getting back the states will be another adventure and will be full of exciting times. I am not returning to a boring mundane life, but instead I will be getting married in July. Not much rest when you consider I land in Seattle on July 1st. I will have exactly 24 days to plan, plan, tweeze brows, work outs, eating healthy, etc.etc. not that this will stop when I am married but what I am trying to relay is that I will have plenty to do once I get back to my daily routine in Houston.

Last, I would really like to learn as much as I can about the Middle East before my departure. Not that I am leaving forever. A part of me believes that I may return one day. For now, I have decided to take my Arabic Phrase book to school and start begging for lessons from my ninth graders during homeroom time. Instead of their usual conversations about the boys at the mall, they can teach me, "hello" "how are you" "welcome". Contrary to what most of my Western comrades may think, NO ONE IN DUBAI SPEAKS ARABIC. When you consider that 20% of the population is local or "Emirati" this means that the remaining 80% of Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos and Westerns converse in English. Part of me wishes that I could have been teaching out in Al Ain or even in Abu Dhabi where a friend of mine was placed last year, only so that when I went to the corner store for a pack of gum, I would have learned some Arabic conversation skills to pack in my bag upon my departure. It is not like that at all. I have only learned a handful of words in Arabic. If I was stranded in the desert and my Arabic speaking skills were the only thing to get me out, well, I sadly would not survive.

Another thing that I wish I could learn more about is the culture. I hear about it all the time but I am not as exposed as I would like to have been or imagined that I was going to be. I feel the Emiraties are extremely kind. The parents and students are wonderful! However, when Friday rolls around, they retreat to their Grandmother's houses and I am left to sleep in and watch several episodes of the Tudors or one of the many DVD TV series I mentioned earlier.

For now, I have about 62 days left to enjoy the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Al Arab, the beaches and the plentitude of activities to do and people to see in Dubai!

March Madness

2010-03-28T08:43:00.002-05:00

March Madness! I have been experiencing a real rush lately that comes when one is jam packed with exciting outings, events and experiences. This has been the case this March! The cold weather has gone, however the stifling humid high temperatures have yet to arrive. That is why I believe I have been taking advantage of my free time, getting up, out and about in Dubai and just simply enjoying life!

First, there was Art Bus. I have lived in Dubai since August, and Art Bus was a great way to be surrounded by art lovers, bohemians, teachers, photographers and other art loving folks. I knew they were around, somplace in Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi, I had yet to come across many artists loving types until Art Bus. Art Bus is put on by www.artinthecity.com, the U.A.E.'s best website for posting all art events and exhibits in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We got on a bus at the Madinat Jumeirah at 10 am and the tour ended at 4:30pm. The tour commenced and we were whizzed around from one gallery to the next in the Al Quoz (Industrial area). We stopped for lunch at the More Cafe, but mostly it was a non-stop gallery fest. The Art Bus tour also opened my eyes to a beautiful artist shared-space nestled amongst the huge villas and the trees of Nad Al Sheba called Tashkeel, an artist dream shared work space where one can pay to use their facilities and great equipment tools for photography, printing, painting, and the likes. Even sitting outside in the garden is probably worth their fees. Right outside of Dubai's hundreds of cranes, and skyscrapers erecting in the sky is Nad Al Sheba, this gorgeous neighborhood and Tashkeel, this artist escape. I had no idea! The day was spent with friendly company, great conversations and of course some amazing art from Iranian-Saudi Arabian-local Emirati artists (there was one American artist too). It was well worth my Friday off of work!

Second, I picked up a flyer while on the Art Bus for an Artist Talk about graffiti which I attended last Monday. The UK artist collaborated with Tashkeel artists and other students to tag/paint three huge walls outside of the Tashkeel building in the garden area. His talk began by describing the history of graffiti and continued onto his work. His name is Mohammed Ali and he was inspiring. His love of Islam and his talent for painting/graffiti art finally came together one day and he has been working at it ever since. He has painted walls all around the world including one of the most interesting, a wall in Brooklyn dedicated to an African Muslim family, two adults and six children, who were killed when their apartment caught fire. I really loved his work and his message of brotherhood, and peace, words which he feels are not incorporated into the minds of our youth today. He said that he always manages to incorporate locals into his projects so that they feel a sense of ownership. The evening was brilliant and I was taken back into the trees and into Tashkeel's garden. What an evening!

Last, I spent last Thursday evening in the desert right outside of Al Ain. The desert was absolutely gorgeous. Once the sun goes down, it is actually cool in the desert. My friend Lynda and I arrived to witness, just on the road into the desert, baby camels nursing from their mothers. Cute! Then, we spent the evening with friends, barbecuing, laughing, and talking about the pros and cons of living in the U.A.E. To be honest, I had no desire to return to the light pollution and waking up to construction. I would have camped out in the desert but forgot my sleeping bag, and needed a nice shower. That my friends, is a miracle. Before I moved to Dubai, you would have never heard me say "camping" in the past. This word had been ejected from my vocabulary list. Regardless, I plan on returning into the desert for some dune bashing and peaceful surroundings sometime in the near future before the humidity and stifling temperatures return!

February

2010-02-09T10:48:00.003-06:00

It is amazing how much my life has changed in just one simple calendar year. Last year, February of 2009, I spent the first weekend of the month in Boston at an International Teacher's job fair in Cambridge, Mass. I hardly left the hotel due to the intense schedule of interviews, networking and information sessions. The fair was for teachers who were looking for jobs in international schools but last year the competition was so high due to the slump in the global economy and the fact that so many teachers already teaching in international schools did not want to leave, or budge. So I did my best, put on my pearls, nicest black suit and heals and flew to the freezing cold Northeastern city of Boston where they were experiencing a significantly cold day of 12 degrees Fahrenheit.

As I exited a lovely presentation on a school in Italy, I was overwhelmed with all that was going on around me and on the verge of having a panic attack. I picked up my cell phone and called Adnan. Now, at this time, Adnan and I were just friends. In fact we were slowly re-building our friendship. I do not know which forces of the universe were working in the winter of 2009 but they were definitely trying to pull us back together. Adnan gave me a really good pep talk and I went back to the job fair. I left the job fair without a job at an international school. However, I had impressed my contact at Search Associates, Sally Jo Gordon, who put in a good word to Delice Scotto, my current boss who telephoned her to ask about me the week after the Boston fair. Boston was a great experience but let me just present a picture of what life was like a year ago.

Last year, 2009, in February, I was single. Yes, the one word most women in their mid-to upper twenties hate hearing. I thought that all of my past relationships had extinguished and I had no future prospects. I lived in a small apartment in Montrose, Houston which for those of you who do not live in Houston should know that it is the fabulous area of Houston where gay people live. So I would take off every morning to go teach in Pearland, return home to my cute apartment and sometimes have a chat with a gay/straight friends, cook some dinner (probably vegan at the time) and go to sleep. Now I had great friends who were keeping me afloat but my love life was non-existent.

Slowly, and in a very strange way, the forces of the universe started working their magic. First, I was offered my dream job in Dubai, U.A.E. It was around that time last year when I began writing this blog. I accepted the job. People were happy for me and all but I was scared. Scared that perhaps I would never find a real lasting relationship, especially in the Middle East. Would I have anything in common with anyone. Not to mention the fact that my contract read two years.

I really can't describe why it happened but Adnan and I began hanging out again. Eventually, it took a few months, we got back together, started dating again and never looked back. My life a year later is beyond wonderful. I am living in Dubai, working in a fabulous position and although I am not staying on next school year, I would never give up the time I have spent here for any other in the world. I am engaged to be married this summer which makes me a cute little fiance. I have wonderful friends in Houston, Seattle, Indiana and Dubai ! I have a wonderful, supportive, amusing, and loving family who is always there for me. I was just amazed a few weeks ago when my boss said she was headed to Boston for the same yearly International Teacher's job fair how far my life or my journey has taken me over the past year. I felt that it was appropriate to share this with everyone. Happy Valentines Day and life is good!

Culture

2010-01-27T06:40:00.003-06:00

I am nearing the end of 1st semester as a teacher in the UAE, Dubai, for the all girls school. It has been quite a ride. Apart from the fact that none of the teachers and students liked the rushed schedule with 40 minute classes, I have had to teach 4 different classes or in the teaching world have 4 different preps. I am in the process of writing the semester exams for the classes and I can't help but share about some of the things that I've learned this 1st Semester.

-When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I have learned more and more, that if you don't embrace and accept the local culture you are to some extent doomed. Its not that I do not like the culture here, don't get me wrong, it is just that it takes a lot longer than I imagined to learn the local ways. I am sure I will continue to learn my lessons by either saying or doing the wrong thing but instead of fighting I am trying to go more and more with the flow.

-Your students know everything about you! When I returned from my winter break/Christmas & New Years, I was just glowing and in the best mood from my engagement. And it made my teaching better and I even shared the news with some of my "girls" or students. These girls love romance so they were beyond excited! However, this week I've been facing some challenges and have not been the most pleasant person around which has surely been affecting my work. It is hard to hide human emotions from humans! :) Ha!

-Last, I've learned a lot in my Sociology class about culture. My fiance and I always argue about globalization & culture. He thinks that being in Shanghai is no different than being in Paris. I always get a little irritated, and peeved. I believe that there are huge differences across the world which stem from cultural differences. Even within large urban areas, you have huge cultural differences. Just go from the East side of 288 highway to the West side (Houston) and you will surely see what I mean. Sure you can probably hit up a Starbucks in Shanghai and Paris and get the same latte. But culture goes beyond this. I have always tried to argue this point to Adnan but have never really had the proper tool kit. Well, thanks to my Sociology course, I've learned so much about these topics.

People within a culture decide what is culturally acceptable. So for example, if your culture thinks its okay to let your child hang their head out of the sunroof while driving 35 mph, than that is "culturally acceptable" in that area of the world (hint I saw this occur on the way home from school yesterday :) ). In America, we are very strict about safety, on the brink of obsessed with being safe, but not so much elsewhere which may be in part because the company will get sued if they are not careful and you do not CYA. Along with learning that it is the local people that eventually write the cultural rule books, cultural traits are eventually written into laws. So the laws in Shanghai and Paris are going to be different because the people and their cultural customs are different. In Paris, or France, I've heard that you are not guilty if you murder your husband who's been having an affair, it is a "crime de passion". That may be just an old wives tale but none the less, this is just an example okay folks. In China, the laws for what can be printed in the press are what Chinese people have accepted as culturally appropriate. So my point is that first comes our cultures/mores/norms/folkways. Next comes what the culture/people consider culturally appropriate and these traits are written into laws.

Phew, that was long. I feel like I'm writing a dissertation paper like my bff Madeline.

A few other things, the Danish cartoonist was on the local radio the other day and said that he has no regrets for drawing the controversial drawings that offended Muslims around the world. Maybe in his culture, the Danish, freedom of speech is one the highest forms that the Danes hold high above all. Not saying I agree with the fact that he printed them but it was something I realized while listening to him speak.

And one last cultural moment. Yesterday afternoon, I heard that France is trying to ban the niqab which is the veil from head to toe in black that some devout Muslims wear. (See the example in photo above.) I told this to one of my classes and they could not understand at all why they would ban it. I said, "well they want their citizens to be French". But you see, they don't quite understand that or what that means. It got them thinking however, and I just like to share what I hear. The struggles with the growing Muslim population in France and throughout Europe is a fascination of mine that I would like to continue studying and writing about so stay tuned for more:) And email me news articles related to this subject if you come across any!

Arriving in Istanbul

2009-12-19T07:39:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! I did not write a post on my trip to Berlin. Basically it was an amazing trip overall. Adnan met up with me in Berlin. We took in all of the sights: Brandenburg Tor, Checkpoint Charlie, the Bundstag, Potsdamer Platz, Schlosse Charlotenneburg and the fun Christmas markets.

Now, I am in Istanbul and Adnan will arrive in a few hours. My plane ride on Turkish Airways from Dubai to Istanbul was alright. Despite the delay (I could have slept in one more hour) I discovered that Turkish Airlines may be one of the last airlines that offers...no baggage fees (like in the US), a nice meal, a blanket, eye mask, movies and free alcohol (even though I don't drink it, this surprised me nonetheless). I slept most of the flight.

Next, as I arrived at the visa desk, my name was called over the ıntercom because Adnan had kindly ordered the hotel to pick me up. I rushed through the visa booth, passport check and baggage claim in a jiffy! A nice man directed me to the little mini van type vehicle. Inside the driver asked where I am from. I said, the U.S. and he replied by saying, "Obama!" I laughed. He also taught me how to say Yes, No and Good Morning! What a nice man and a great welcome to Istanbul, a major city in Turkey which as a country has a major reputation for its hospitality.

We pulled into the Old Town. Up a small brick lined street and down another brick lined street arriving at our little hotel. I freshened up and walked around. The sun is shining and despite being a bit chilly outside, taking in the sights is mezmerizing. I ate delicious kofte (kebabs), lentil soup, and proceeded to ask a woman where a good place to drink coffee is, her reply, Starbucks. Instead, I found a little local shop two doors down from my hotel which serves Illy and ordered a machiato. Before the coffee shop, while walking through a little square, I enjoyed a sallup (which my boss Pat told me to try). This warm drink is a thick white drink made from orchids with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I enjoyed it but can't wait to try the fresh squeezed pomegranite juice and nargile (hookah). That's all for today!

Musandam, Oman

2009-11-20T20:46:00.005-06:00

Wow! It has been over a month since I have updated my blog. How sad:( Part of what I have been going through the past month is called "culture shock" to some, others "homesickness", and to many stress transitioning to life in the Middle East. They say it gets better with time. Some say, it takes a year, others two but all I know is that this past month has been one hell of a ride!

To get out of myself (and the classroom) I was chosen to be one of the chaperones for the four day trip to Musandam, Oman. There were 32 high school girls, three other teachers, and myself. Since most people do not even know where the country of Oman is, I have included a map. If you follow the UAE coastline northeast, there is a peninsula called the Musandam Peninsula. Let me tell you folks, it was breathtaking. I always dreamed of white sandy beaches, and green-blue water and there it was right in front of my eyes!

Day One:
We left our school in Dubai at 7 am. After packing a breakfast, lunch and all of the required gear on the packing list, we all got onto a really nice tour bus and headed out. As my co-worker Pat said to me, "all you have to do is get on the bus". I had been so stressed and overworked, I could hardly wait to get out of my routine and enjoy a little fun. We stopped at a beach right before the UAE/Oman border and ate lunch, thought that we'd wade our toes in the beautiful water. Well our cute little pedicured feet had tar stains all over them which we quickly learned (thanks to Julie) that only an oil based product such as sunscreen will remove. Moreover, the staff met us and we arrived at the accommodations. The staff consisted of four people: Ian (a Scot), Jane (the boss, a Brit), Gemma (a Brit) and Courtney (an American). The staff were so nice throughout the entire trip. They took us first to a museum which I enjoyed. Being an history teacher, I love all that nerdy information on the area and the founding people. The museum I speak of and the town is called Khasab. Nice little town. In the museum, I enjoyed learning about all of the native Omanis and how they live(d). I also learned, interestingly enough, that the mountains shooting up into the skyline are formed by the earth's plates which are essentially pushing the Musandam peninsula into Iran (which is across the Strait of Hormuz). My question was, is it "global warming" that is causing the sea level to rise or is it the plates below the earth surface that are maybe pushing the land forming mountains and sea levels to change? I guess I'll never be able to find that one out.

The most interesting thing of all was observing the Omani people. Khasab is a simple town with very few shops or commercialized things. Lots of little boys running around without shoes, playing soccer and I even saw one little boy beating up another little boy. So where are all of the woman you ask? Well, that was our question! I guess, in part, it is part of the local culture. Women tend to stay home and remain indoors. We did see a few after a while but it was mostly men (trying to stare through the tinted windows to see our beautiful girls). Khasab was not a dangerous place though. The hotel was very modest but got the job done. I saw a few Europeans and what looked like an American family from the midwest (they were so pale:)). It was fun to see a small town and observe the culture. I have been in Dubai which remains such an odd city that is trying so desperately to be modern and unfortunately the only place where I see locals is at the mall.

Day Two:
Every morning we awoke at 7am which believe it or not is sleeping in for us teachers. The staff hires the hotel to feed us and the buffet was quite nice! The first day we rode mountain bikes in the morning and kayaked in the afternoon. I loved every minute of it. I would really like to purchase a bike but we'll see. There are some great parks here where you can ride your bikes because unfortunately the people drive so crazy in Dubai that it is not a pedestrian/biker friendly city. So as you can imagine, after two days of activities, the girls and teachers were quite tired.

Day Three:
This was our second day of fun filled activities. In the morning, my group went on the navigation trip. The girls shared GPS systems and went on a scavenger hunt. We were actually walking around through a wadi (a dry valley that stores water when it rains). It was fun! The real challenge came in the afternoon during rock climbing. Quite honestly, I doubted that several of our little divas would even get on the mountain in a harness with a helmet let alone climb up the wall! I was so proud in the end seeing every single girl climb to the top! Now the climbs were not lacking any drama, whining, and tantrums but Ian who had us on the harness or coached us up the mountains was really spectacular and all of the girls climbing it in the end!

Day Four:
The last day in Oman (Friday) was incredible and probably most people's favorite. The crew took us all out on a dhow (traditional Arab sailing vessel). As we headed out around the bend, dolphins swam along our boat. It was so amazing. I had never seen dolphins and was like a kid again. Then we swam. The warm, refreshing water was stunning. I even strapped on a snorkeling mask and mouthpiece for the first time (as did many of the girls) and saw all of the fish below the surface. What a trip! It was so much fun!

All in all, it is amazing how many lessons you can learn outside of the classroom. I learned that even girls who pack two suitcases full of candy, who sleep on Dior pillows and wear expensive work-out clothes can climb walls, kayak and swim with the fish. It was not only relieving to get away from my routine but also fantastic to get to know some of the students I do not have in class, bond with my co-workers and see a fascinating new country that I cannot wait to visit again someday!

Middle East International Film Festival

2009-10-18T00:45:00.002-05:00

Friday, I drove to Abu Dhabi for the MEIFF. This is the 2nd MEIFF held in Abu Dhabi and there is another film festival coming to Dubai in December. I am really looking forward to all of these films.

Planet Plastic - This documentary was categorized at the film festival under the category, "What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?" Planet Plastic could have easily been placed in the category "What in the HELL are we doing to our World?" The film maker, Werner Boote, is Austrian and grew up with a Grandfather who worked in the plastics industry in Europe. He started asking questions about the plastics industry out of curiosity but the main connection is his Grandfather and some old notes he had left behind about the growth of the industry. In the film, we see Werner Boote, traveling all over the world going to the Plastic Industry's largest trade show in Europe, to visit various researchers, visit contaminated sites. Mr. Boote had ten studies funded and revealed some of his findings in the film.

Plastics are horrible! The woman in the film I found the most profound in her findings is a woman who researches at Washington State University. She said that when plastic is heated, or corodes over time, chemicals are released. These chemicals affect our endocrine systems, reproductive health (men & women). Another man from Ohio, stated that these leaching chemicals make us obese, mess with our respiratory systems, etc. It was quite scary and made me want to go home and throw everything out made of plastic!

The two things that I have taken away from this moving are...

1. It does not matter how much of the chemicals that seep from the plastic that you are exposed to. It is simply a matter of being exposed and I've probably already been exposed thanks to my parents cloudy colored tupperware they used all throughout the eighties. I am already screwed. It is not the quantity I learned. If you have been exposed, you have been exposed.

2. The producers of plastic bottles or manufacturers do not know what chemicals are being used to make the plastic bottles. The suppliers send the "correct" ingrediants but actually do not give all of the information as to which chemicals are supplied to the producer and there is not one organized body (government, FDA, etc.) that is looking into this. No one really knows how harmful plastics are, is what i am trying to say.

The film maker conducted 10 studies that were funded by a body within the European Union. The woman in charge of funding the studies was interviewed and stated that there are 160 something chemicals used in everyday plastics and it took them ten years to study ten. That means there are still one hundred something chemicals out there to study. Who is going to do this? How much will it cost? You are probably thinking, "don't we have more important things to worry about right now?" This is, in my opinion the film makers point. No one cares about this Plastic problem we have and no one is really doing anything about it. We are continuing to allow the chemical/petroleum companies do what they please, produce what they please.

Overall, I thought that the film was VERY informative. I approached and met Mr. Boote afterwards (sorry I did not get a photo). There was a Q&A session at the end. The saddest thing he spoke of was baby bottles, pacifiers, how the plastics are not safe and the other was that if you purchase something that says BPA free, well, guess what? They tested it and its toxic.

Check out Mr. Boote's webiste: www.plastic-planet.at If you speak or read German you are in luck. The website is mostly in German right now but check it out regardless. German is just like English right? Mr. Boote is working on getting it translated.

In Berlin-This film was so-so. I went to see it because I REALLY want to visit Berlin. This film was in the "Documentary Feature Competition". It looked into the lives of various people throughout Berlin since the wall came down twenty years ago this November. I liked the film okay and this quick fix did not subside my desire to go there!

No One Knows About Persian Cats-I enjoyed the first film for being so informative, however this film was brilliant. The film follows two young Iranian indie rock musicians trying to get their band together to go to London. But the film also displayed various musicians and the underground music scene in Iran (mostly Tehran, the capital). Again, just like so many things that I have observed in the Middle East, this film further clarifies that kids in their twenties all over the globe love similar things, like Indie rock.

The film was directed by Bahman Ghobadi. It was classified in the film festival's category "Narrative Feature Competition". Based on real events and real people who are not allowed to play "Western" music or are continuously arrested, jailed and eventually the two characters who the film is based off of have had to resettle in London. It showed the beautiful and the ugly of Iran. The poverty and the hopelessness many face in the country where I am not allowed to visit but would love to.

I must say, having beloved Iranian friends, learning about Iran and seeing a film like this with such beautiful photography, I continue to learn about this country and culture. I find it quite beautiful and cannot blame some of the government's decisions or laws that I don't agree with on the entire country. That would be like people throughout the world disliking me because of Bush! (O, I forgot, some people do this ;-) he he)

Regardless, if this film gathers enough momentum and is played in the states, I highly recommend it. The end startles you and I won't say why but I truly enjoyed this film. After, I wanted to run out and buy some converse, put on some old tight jeans, pull on a hoody and go to an Indie rock concert which are unfortunately lacking in Dubai.

I hope this post was not too boring! Thanks for reading and keep me posted on the world of films! Ciao!

What's God got to do, got to do with it?

2009-09-28T10:56:00.002-05:00

I am a Scorpio. Born right smack dab in the middle of the Scorpio time period Oct. 23-Nov. 20th, on Nov. 5th. There really isn't any denying the fact that I am a Scorpio but sometimes I just don't feel it. Scorpio's can be described as...complex, cleaver, passionate, investigative, magnetic, social, good memory, deep, sensual, self-reliant, determined, loyal, brave, protective, resourceful, dynamic, and intuitive.

I have been feeling a bit awkward lately because I am in quite a religious country, despite being relatively liberal, and I am not religious. I'd like to think that I am spiritual but I don't even know if I would describe myself this way.

This is what my google homepage horoscope said for Scorpios today: "You have a strange relationship with your spirituality that is difficult to explain to anyone else. Fortunately, you are not required to put words to that which cannot be communicated, even if others inquire. For now, just revel in your inner experience, for that's where you can draw the most strength."

I guess my spirituality does lye in my experiences. I have traveled quite a lot and have gone down different roads in finding myself. And the further along I go, I realize that there really is never going to be a moment where you reach a finish line or you just feel utterly and completely happy. That hollywood scene of happiness is just not going to arrive ever but I must say I have been experiencing moment of happiness that I have never felt before. I am enjoying my new job, my work is fulfilling, I am learning a tremendous amount from reading, colleagues, and students, I have a wonderful family, some great friends near and far and even better I am utterly and completely in love! I don't think that I could ask for anything more!

Ramadan Kareem/Eid Mubarak

2009-09-26T03:37:00.006-05:00

Since the purpose of this blog is to give you a feeling for what life is like in Dubai and the various places that I visit throughout the Middle East, I thought that it would not be right to go any further without describing the holy month of Ramadan.

A week after I arrived in Dubai, the month of Ramadan arrived. I was sort of deeply dreading this month for I knew things sort of slowed down and the loud music was turned off after I had been moving at a high speed pulsating dance music party mix type pace all summer.

The dates of the month of Ramadan change every year. The month begins about 10 days earlier each year due to the fact that our calendar is based on a solar calendar while the Muslim calendar is lunar. I have had my few stints with Ramadan throughout my time at the Univ. of Wa. I had several Muslim friends who were fasting and one day, I tried fasting but did not make it so far as Solstice cafe without giving in to my morning latte. I realized at that time that fasting and Ramadan is a spiritual matter with meaning behind it that I did not quite yet understand.

During the thirty days of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise (dawn) to sunset (dusk). This does not only mean food but also water, beverages, smoking, displays of affection towards the opposite sex and cursing. The month of fasting is important to Muslims for a few reasons: to bring them closer to G_d and their belief, and to humble them and make them remember those who are starving and in need. It was during the month of Ramadan that the Qu'ran or the messages were revealed to their Prophet which I truly find remarkable.

I learned a lot throughout the month of Ramadan and wish that I spent a month out of every year partaking in these types of spiritual, and cultural activities which bring families and friends together, make people behave in a humble and nice way and sort of re-charge the battery if you will. After all of the books I read, and people that have taught me about Ramadan, I learned the most from my students and co-workers. They enjoy Ramadan. It is not a burden to them. And they explained to me that Ramadan is not about trying to fast but it is a simple act that only requires you to relax and give up your daily habits of consumption. Muslims usually read from the Qu'ran every evening or go to the mosques. Families get together and eat and gather together every evening for a festivity which is called Iftar.

At the end of Ramadan, the Eid holiday is announced which is equivalent in importance to the West's Christmas. Adults give children money in small increments (like 10 5dirham bills for example), people buy each other new clothes, people wear new clothes and of course, people get together and eat. Like I mentioned the re-charging your battery, Eid marks the beginning of a new year for Muslims hence the new clothes. Raheela, my colleague and now good friend, even fed me the traditional sweet noodles that Pakistanis eat on Eid.

In the U.A.E., drinking, smoking, eating, chewing gum, and playing loud music is all prohibited during the month of Ramadan. At first I thought it would be such a burden and I will admit that I came home from shopping outings or from school quite dehydrated. However, when Eid arrived, I realized that I had learned from my colleagues, and students how meaningful and beautiful this time of year really is and in the end enjoyed partaking in the rituals and experiencing this holiday in a Muslim country. Eid Mubarak to all of my beloved friends and family! Have a wonderful year!

A Historic Day for a History Teacher

2009-09-12T04:36:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, the 9th of September 2009 (09/09/09) at 9:09:09 the VP of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and his fellow dignitaries, rode the first metro in Dubai, this marked the opening of the Dubai Metro. The Dubai metro, according to several expats I have met, has been "a big deal". Not only has the construction disrupted most car traveling fellows (which is everyone in Dubai) when all is said and done, the city will spend around 7.6 billion US dollars on this system. The metro is a raised rail car or subway that runs through the city to various stations. I could not figure what all the fuss was about. A new metro, so what? Houston has a metro that barely anyone rides, and Seattle also just opened one so we'll see.

Then, while asking my colleague Patricia, it hit me, it is the very first subway/metro EVER in the Middle East. That's a big deal!

At first, I'd read someplace that the metro would be a wonderful catalyst to bring multiple cultures and various socio-economic groups together. Then, I learned a day before the metro opened that there will eventually be different types of metro tickets for purchase similar to trains in Europe and planes in the US. So the poorer folk will purchase Class C or Class 3 tickets for example while the richer folks Class A or Class 1 if you will and the rich and the poor folk will ride in seperate cars never having to interact. I will be interested to discover the outcome of this idea or decision.

My girls (students) were really excited and I can definitely see why! In a city where expats come into and out of their lives, my students or the locals will most likely live here throughout their lifetimes. Considering there is no tax here, the money for the subway did not come from the workers, teachers, corporate business or out of my pocket. All of the investments being made in Dubai are being done by the Sheikh and the royal family. Many Emiraties are proud when their city makes a long term investment on its infrastructure because they know it will only put there city on the map and make it more desirable of a location to either spend your vacation here or move to.

Needless to say, I witnessed the first metro in the Middle East. Last night, as I was out on Sheikh Zayed Road, I saw the metro go by. I sort of smiled knowing that I did not have to endure as much of the inconvenience it has caused for others while still smiling because I know, at the end of the day, it will make some people's lives much easier.

First Impressions-Dubai

2009-09-04T16:16:00.002-05:00

No matter the amount of preparation, Lonely Planet guidebook reading, or talking to others who have been to Dubai, I tried my best to come with an open mind and have really been enjoying my life here in Dubai so far. I arrived in Dubai on August 15th. That was three weeks ago! I cannot even begin to tell you all of my impressions, and observations that I have witnessed thus far of Dubai, United Arab Emirates in this one blog entry but I will try.

The flight to Dubai was nice! I flew Delta from Seattle to Atlanta and after Atlanta to Dubai. I thought the long flight would be much worse than it really was in the end. I watched three movies, slept for about three hours total, and arrived living off pure adrenaline. Five other teachers on my flight and I were greeted by a service called Marhaba. These ladies greet us in gold jackets and whizzed us through lines: baggage check, visa, passport, you name it. The arrival went quite well and it was really quick. The weirdest experience of all was having my eye scanned. Yikes! Still have not figured that one out?

My apartment is quite nice and spacious. The floors are marble, the ceilings are high and I had a few things all ready for me that I had ordered through the school: a shower curtain, a bed, matress, sheets, toaster, etc. Needless to say, I unwrapped the sheets and enjoyed a nice evening of sleep in my comfortable bed. I was one of the lucky few who only had jet lag the first few evenings. I woke up at 5am wide awake the first morning and 7am the second morning. Like usual, slept right through the night from there on out. The accommodations are nice, our building is safe and the neighborhood is interesting. Let's just say, several of the returning teachers call it "little India".

The welcome committee of about five teachers drove us to Festival City the first few days. Festival City is one of several Dubai malls. Festival City had a mega WalMart type grocery store called HyperPanda (my colleagues call the Energetic Bear), an Ikea, a nice coffee shop and several clothing stores. I just remember being overwhelmed but after a few trips I managed to furnish the apartment with the basics.

One of the things that I am trying to get used to is the fact that there is a service for everything. Furniture delivery, water can be delivered to your doorstep, taxi drivers load your car, pretty much all of the things I am used to doing myself are not considered normal here and there is someone who will do this for you. The facilities manager of our school's company saw my Ikea furniture in boxes on the floor. I had begun putting some of the furniture together and he said, "why do you do this? You can have someone do this for you." This will definitely take some getting used to. Most people order take out and it is delivered to their door. Phone cards? 24 pack of Diet Coke? Why walk the two blocks to the grocery store in humidity when you can have someone do this for you? I have still not adjusted to this mentality but I can see why expats get so spoiled that they stay here for years.

My co-workers, and department head are so incredibly wonderful! Everyone is so helpful here! I really lucked out by getting a really cool department head. She is so nice, willing to help. She even took us out our first weekend to a gorgeous hotel at the foot of the Palm (island shaped like a Palm tree). It has been a pleasant experience and it has made going to work everyday something to look forward to.

I apologize for the length of this blog entry. From here forward, I will just try to post shorter blogs with brief descriptions of interesting observations! I am really enjoying Dubai. It is difficult to be a tourist and go do some of the tourist outdoor activities this time of year because of the heat. I am patiently awaiting the late fall and winter when everyone enjoys the beaches, outdoor patios and lovely parks that the city has to offer.

For now, I just want to let anyone who is reading this know that life here has been very good to me so far, inshallah! I am so busy preparing for lessons for my classes and trying to soak up as much of the culture as I can! The adjustment period is still going on but I am definitely loving every minute of it!

Road Trip USA: Houston - Seattle

2009-07-24T08:00:00.021-05:00

I did not blog while on my road trip from Houston to Seattle but I thought that I'd re-cap a few of the highlights along with posting photos.

Day 1-July 8, 2009: Houston, TX - Los Cruces, NM. This leg of my road trip was actually one of the best because my Dad was along for the ride. For some reason I thought that I would be bored. I was anything but bored. With my father I and both "talkers" there was not a moment of boredom in my 2006 little white Nissan Sentra. Even as we set the AC blasting to the max we were still sweating and hot. After San Antonio, like most Texans warned me, there is not much out there. However, surprisingly I found the landscape quite scenic. I had envisioned a brown desert like setting but it was green and became rockier with more hills and mountains as we traveled West.

I enjoyed the massive windmills an hour outside of El Paso.

My Dad and I passed two Airstream trailers (we are both huge Airstream fans).

Last the sunset in Los Cruces (40 miles north of El Paso) was spectacular. We found a La Quinta to crash for the night and while talking on my cell phone outside I learned that the beetles and bugs in Los Cruces were unfamiliar. "Texans are nice" my father observed and I was a little sad leaving the lone star state. The drive that first day was enjoyable: catching up with my Dad, listening to old school Michael Jackson, reading my travel magazine and enjoying the humidity one last time! :)

Day 2-July 9, 2009: Los Cruces, NM -Anaheim, CA

My Dad accompanied me all the way to Anaheim where his parents (my grandparents) live. That is why we did not drive to Seattle on a more direct route, say through Denver, CO or the Rockies.

Day 2 was enjoyable as well although I began to get a little restless in Arizona. Southern New Mexico is quite uneventful. Finally we reached Arizona and made Phoenix our lunch stop. My expectations for Arizona were much higher than the end result. Perhaps all the beautiful cactus landscape roads I had witnessed on movies were not filmed along highway 10? Instead the dry, brown desert did not impress me whatsoever.

Traveling twenty miles off of highway 10 to a suburb of Phoenix called Gilbert, my Dad and I sought out a diner that has appeared on his favorite television show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives or triple D. The diner is called Joe's Farm Grill.

The Fontina Burger and Mexican Vanilla bean shake were incredibly delicious! The restaurant sat on land that used to be a farm owned by the Johnston family. My Dad believes that most likely the farm land was sold to developers and the owners used the profit to build the restaurant. Next to Joe's Farm Grill, there was also a Coffee Shop that had adorable cupcakes and next to the coffee shop was a scooter shop. So cute, modern and hip!

We finally reached the California border! From one of the US's largest states (TX) to another (CA). I was really looking forward to California because I have fond childhood memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa and going to Disneyland.

I thought the windmills set up for wind power just east of El Paso were spectacular until just past Palm Desert we came upon hundreds upon hundreds of windmills. Nestled just inside a valley to catch the Santa Ana winds were at least 500 windmills. I was blown away by the number of windmills in California. If Texas is number two in wind power California has got to be number one!

Finally, Dad and I arrived in Anaheim. My Grandma was patiently awaiting our arrival. Doris is the cutest woman ever! She had her hair done and was so excited to see us!

My Dad stayed in Anaheim a few days before departing home to Seattle! I must say, he was probably the best partner in crime for two 12 hour days of driving. We had fun! He made me laugh quite frequently. I have never met anyone else who is so friendly to everyday people at gas stations, etc. He is very knowledgeable and informative on the trucking lifestyle, roads, highways, etc. Thanks Dad! Let the journey continue!

Can't Sleep so why not blog

2009-07-24T07:45:00.002-05:00

Instead of lying in bed trying so hard to sleep this morning, I gave in, woke up, made myself a cup of coffee and I am sitting here at 5:30 am Friday, July 24th blogging. I have a lot on my mind these days. In twenty one days I will be boarding a plane for Dubai, U.A.E. to begin working. Where has the summer gone? With this departure comes all sorts of loose ends to tie up and all kinds of preparations. I will share with you a few things on my mind in hopes that this will relieve a few anxieties and bring a better night of rest later this evening.

First of all, I am really not that nervous to leave the U.S. for Dubai. People ask me this question quite frequently and I ponder as to whether I really should be answering the questioner or wonder what they are expecting as a "normal" reply. I am really not that nervous. I am more concerned as to what should go in my suitcase! aka what clothes and shoes to pack. Perhaps this anxiety or nervousness will arrive a few days before departure but I only envision myself becoming more and more excited! I look forward to the change in pace, being surrounded by Europeans, Asians and others. Meeting the girls, my new students. The fun things that arrive with a fresh new school year. New co-workers (not that I did not like my old co-workers) but the women who, like me, move abroad to teach I bet have some amazing histories and stories that I cannot wait to hear about.

Second, maybe the insomnia and anxiousness for my trip is a good thing. After all I am leaving some amazing friends, colleagues, my love and so many others so it might as well be worth all of this work. To be honest, I have not been dealing with the whole visa process just yet. I have renewed my passport (have you noticed the US Visa resembles the Colbert report with eagles and such?) and I endured the long process of getting my diploma and transcripts approved by four different offices ( I swear Hillary Rodham Clinton hand signed my documents:))

Last, maybe the lack of sleep is a result of too many Diet Pepsis or caffeine? I doubt it considering I drink quite a lot of caffeine on a daily basis but regardless it was just another option to throw out there! Okay, I'm going to end this rather lengthy entry and let you know that I am alright and will be fine. And no, I am not nervous about Dubai! :)

Garage Sales, Garbage and Getting Rid of Things

2009-07-02T17:02:00.004-05:00

Since school ended on June 5th, I have realized that watching the Today Show, The View and Ellen is much more desirable than doing what I am supposed to be doing or organizing my life. I knew that I needed to be moving all of my things out of my apt. one way or another and boxing items that I wanted to keep but watching television and lounging by the pool proved much more fun!

Instead of throwing away all of my things or donating them to the Goodwill, I started by holding a Garage Sale (which I learned should have been called a Yard Sale) on my good friend Aimee's front lawn. Making a few dollar bills is always nice too! Too prepare, I spent an entire week gathering items that I knew would not be going in the suitcase to Dubai or stored at la casa Caskey in Seattle for 2 years. Here is a photo of my garage sale pile! Yikes!
The Garage Sale brought me a few hundred bucks but the effort and work to hold the garage sale was rough. I did not even have to post the signs and people starting hovering over the tables, bargaining, grabbing, etc. I sold everything from old work clothes, a guitar with an awesome pink case, I mean you name it, it was probably there! I also managed to donate a few things to Goodwill which is also nice!

Next came moving out of my apartment and cleaning the entire place. It was only a one bedroom but geez, I spent all of last Saturday, June 27th mopping, sweeping, dusting, scrubbing ... all in hopes of getting my deposit fully reimbursed. Now I know why people just pay people to clean. If I learned anything from moving out of my beautiful apartment on Commonwealth it is not to move in or out in June or any other time when the thermostat reaches 100 degrees!

Last but certainly not least, I am currently staying near downtown Houston in Melanie's town home on the bottom floor. It is a nice location and all my things are in her garage waiting to be piled into my car for the road trip home with my Daddo to Seattle. Since I arrived here last Saturday, I have combed through my goods a second time only to release more items to the recycling, Goodwill or garbage gods!

Getting rid of "stuff" can be an wonderful feeling! I have been evaluating in the past few weeks all of the essential everyday items that I truly need. Because otherwise it is most certainly not coming along with me half way around the world!

Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.

2009-06-16T16:56:00.009-05:00

June 6th through the 9th I visited a good ol' friend John who recently relocated from Seattle to Denver (technically Arvada a suburb of Denver). I decided to take off right when school ended for a little rest & relaxation and explore Denver!

Upon arriving after my early flight on Frontier (I was not impressed with their customer service but loved the leg room ;-)) I arrived at the Denver Airport. What's amazing is that you land in a dry flat field but there are mountains on the horizon only 30 minutes or so from the airport. Walking to baggage claim, there was a little Museum of Denver over the sky bridge. I was drawn in by one of the displays that asked, "Why Denver?"
I thought this question was a good question because why is this rather large, attempting to be metropolitan city which actually has a NBA team (unlike Seattle) doing in the middle of the middle of the Western half of the US. After all Colorado is a square. So how did they choose where to place their largest city and capital? Do people place the large cities and create metropolitan areas or does the city just grow miraculously and mysteriously over time?

The suburbs of Denver are beautiful! The airport may be a flat prairie field, however, as you approach Denver you see the mountains which are called Flatirons. We spent my first afternoon chillin' by the pool (forgot about altitude and was a wee bit sunburnt). That afternoon we explored Boulder. On our way to Boulder we passed Broomtown which I was rather impressed with. It used to be a field but has grown in the past 5 years into a suburb where technology companies have settled. The Silicon Valley of Denver if you please! Now Boulder, I was told by a fellow Houstonian is where people value their several thousand dollar bicycles over their cars. I was expecting Bellingham but instead found a cute, small and darling little town on the frontier of Colorado. I love Pearl Street! The vibe was very pleasant. For having such a liberal hippy town, the woman were dressed quite well and the boutiques full of beautiful summer dresses. Of course, the largest University of Colorado is located in Boulder so it sends off the college vibe. The book store was phenominal and the coffee was great! Did you know that Celestial Tea is from Boulder?

On Monday afternoon, I explored Downtown Denver as well. The folks working during the week dress a lot more casual than in Houston. I liked the downtown area. It was very clean and they have converted many old historic buildings or kept several of them alive. Men playing chess on 16th Street Mall (no not a mall but the name of their main street)

The Court House across from the Capital Building

Exploring Arvada was fun as well! Arvada is about 15 minutes North West of Downtown Denver on your way to Boulder. John works for the City of Arvada so I got the inside scoop of all of the up and coming projects. There is an old town Arvada ... and a new town Arvada where they have built quite a nice and modern combination of town homes, condos and apartments. There is a train track which seperates the old and new town that John explained will eventually serve commuters who wish to find alternative means to travel downtown for work. I found that Colorado was very progressive when it comes to their energy reforms which could possibly explain why Obama has visited Denver a few times! As you are driving away from the airport on your left there is a solar farm.

All in all I enjoyed Denver! How fun it must be to work and drive under an hour in the winter time to go play: ski, board, snowshoe. Texans have called Colorado their playground. I think the city is nice but a little too small and slower paced for my taste. It is definitely more affordable than Seattle and there is a lot more to do outdoors than in Houston!

The last place I would like to mention is the Tajik Tea House located in Boulder called Dushanbe. According to our server, all of the pieces were imported from Tajikistan and assembled by Tajiks from Boulder's sister city. In exchange, the city of Boulder gave them a wireless cafe. It is exquisite and unlike any teahouse I have visited anywhere in the U.S. Their teas are potent and deserts rich. So check it out next time you are headed to the mountains for some winter or summer outdoor fun!

Love 2 Laugh

2009-05-21T23:09:00.004-05:00

I love to laugh which is perhaps why I teach 7th grade. Everyday, when I think of all of the little mundane administrative tasks that I have to deal with one of my students will shout out the funniest comment like...
"Ms. Caskey, why do you recycle paper so much?" I replied "Well, I am a tree hugging environmentalist" Ha! "Ms. Caskey are John & Kate going to break up?" Or when I have the most serious frown upon my face, I look up at my audience (class) and just crack up which than makes them laugh. One time a student had turned the spandex fabric green book cover over his entire head/face and put his glasses over it, the whole class broke down laughing so hard we almost cried (you also just have to know this student to perhaps laugh as hard as we did)...the future of America! Needless to say, in a very stressful, long drawn out end of the school year, I have been putting forth the greatest effort not to take myself so darn seriously and just laugh!

I hope y'all are enjoying this blog so far? I even emailed the URL to my Grandma and she read it. She followed up with an email saying how cool the blog was! When I told my co-workers about my blog today one proclaimed that she is too old. As I tried explaining that all she has to do is type in the URL I could not help but think that if I got Grandma to do, anyone can do it ;-)

What I know so far!

2009-05-10T10:21:00.006-05:00

People keep asking me the same set of questions when I attend parties or when I'm catching up with people so I thought that I'd post a few bits of information on my blog and try to write on here more often.

Who: Me
What: Going to teach High School World History for 2 years
Where: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
When: I leave Houston, TX for Seattle after the 4th of July and I leave Seattle for Dubai, August 14th
Why: Experience the Middle East and expand my career as a teacher

I've been getting a lot of the same reactions when I inform others of my move to Dubai...

"Wow, I've heard that place is amazing", "Where is Dubai again?" and "The richest people in the world live there" a lot of responses re: gold, the Burj Al Arab (the building that resembles a sail boat).

I am unsure regarding what life will be like in Dubai but I do know this...

Housing: I will live in an apartment my school sets me up with. Other faculty members live in the same building but I will have my own apartment. I get a certain amount of dirham (UAE currency) to furnish the apartment.

Transportation: I will have to catch rides to school with other teachers until I can lease or purchase my own car. This is one bummer about the two years abroad: moving from one non-pedestrian friendly city to another.

School: I will be teaching at an all girls school Al Mizhar American Academy for Girls (www.aag.ae) which is part of a group of schools called Taaleem (Education in arabic). I will be in the high school section of the school.

Once I learn more I will let you know but this is what I know so far! I am so excited and nervous about moving away from Houston where I feel so established and connected. I am really attached to my friends here so I really hope everyone being more connected via iPhones, laptops, webcams, etc. helps.

Big dreams!

2009-03-20T23:30:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! This is my first time blogging and I'm really looking forward to it. I always have a lot on my mind and I will be having even more exciting thoughts to share in the next year so I will be putting everything, photos, thoughts, stories, travel journal entries, etc. right here on my blog.

The purpose of this blog is to share with you my journey. I left my hometown of Seattle, Washington in January 2006 having no idea where my life was going. After some time I came to the conclusion that I wanted to become a teacher. It had always been lying in the back of my mind, and I had done some ESL tutoring but really, I became a teacher rather quickly. I began my Alternative Certification Program in May 2007 and landed a job and began working as a teacher by August 2007. Unfortunately, the downside to the ACP program is that you do not get to spend a lot of time in the classroom before you have your own. Lets just say that it has been a long road but I am finally starting to get the hang of it.

In November of 2007, I had the option of staying in Pearland for an in service day. Boring! I chose instead to attend the Middle School Conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. I met Sally Jo Gordon and her husband Bob at their Search Associates booth. Sally told me about how her first time teaching abroad was in Iran. The revolution set off in 1989 and she witnessed the entire thing. After she told me this story with excitement and enthusiasm I thought, "I want to do that". Here I go!

This fall I signed up with Search Associates. Basically I created a resume and profile including recommendations from co-workers, former parents and administrators. I also decided set off to Cambridge, Mass. for a job fair Search Associates puts on annually where International School headmasters go to find qualified teachers. The lucky teachers offered positions sign two year contracts (some extend the contracts). The fair was unlike any experience I had before. First off, there were a number of married people all over the place and they made me a bit pissed off. Usually a school will hire a married couple over single candidates because it is "cheaper" to say the least. Sally warned us that it would be a bit competitive. With the economy the way that it is around the world, EVERYONE was searching high and low for jobs. This year proved to be really competitive. Sally also told us that you do not usually find a job at a fair but the contacts and connections you make are priceless! My goal was to keep away from the European schools since I have lived in France and Czech Republic and try to find a job in Asia (Taiwan, China or Japan preferably) or the Middle East/North Africa/South Asia (my dream). Having just come off my Slumdog Millionaire high, I thought that it would be awesome to work in India. However, Search Associates always stresses that we remain "open minded" and not focus on one particular country. I tried to begin this process with an open mind and fixate on a particular school or country (sort of like my love life:)!

I loved meeting Sally! She remembered me from the Houston conference. She loved my energy and handbag. I nervously but confidently interviewed with the American School of Moscow and a Catholic school who's name I still can't pronounce in Bangkok, Thailand. Let's just say, I feel into the average category of those who did not find a job at the fair.

Here is what I learned at the Cambridge Job Fair: Boston is freezing in the winter (it was 12 degrees), the Charles River can freeze over, MIT is huge and its buildings offer some amazing a architecture, Sally is amazing, give a teacher or a headmaster a drink and you can have a good time, it is possible to make it through a job fair sober, the movie Twilight was made for 13 year old girls, and international teachers no matter their age are amazing, adventurous and extremely supportive of one another! What an amazing weekend!

While I was in the lobby at the Cambridge fair, I saw a job posting on the Search Associates site for an opening at a girl's academy in Dubai. What would make a girl interested in such a position you ask? First, I have always dreamed of living and traveling to the Middle East. Second, while I studied abroad in France my junior year of high school, I studies in a class with only girls. The experience was priceless and I learned the benefits of learning in an environment where you are not worrying about the boy sitting next to you. I strongly believe that in most cases seperating the genders is key at the secondary level.

The weekend after Cambridge, I returned to Houston and John came to visit. The headmaster of the school requested a phone interview that weekend. We talked for over an hour which is always a good sign. I had a follow up interview, passed my History grades 8-12 exam and was offered the position Monday, March 9, 2009. Woo hoo! Awesomeness!

What does this all mean?

This August (2009) I will be flying to Dubai. This is going to be interesting folks because Ramadan will be taking place (a month in which Muslims fast). School instruction begins in September. I will be teaching in Dubai for two years. I will be teaching High School history courses in World History along with a section of Sociology. I will live in an apartment in the same building as the other teachers. I will visit Seattle in the summer time.

Right now, this whole thing is still setting in. I am SO SO SO excited to be traveling again and living abroad. I have checked out a few books on Dubai from the library and have begun reading about the Middle East, Islam and I will start teaching myself Arabic shortly.