It has been forever since I've written a post, and I made a vow to myself that I would write this weekend. Of course, I have waited until the midnight hour (not actually midnight, but my bedtime) to sit down and do this.
With my move to the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, I've gone from dreading work to loving it. So much so, that the ideas and creativity continues to flow once I get home, so on many nights, I continue to work. On those nights I'm not actually working, my mind is still going like crazy.
In just over a week we'll be on Spring Break. I've booked a couple of trips and they will force me to think and do some other things.
Now for some random thoughts -
---I marvel at how fast Zadie and Milu are growing up. Zadie is holding full fledge conversations. It's like she's catching up on all those times she wanted to say something, but hadn't figured out how. She's making up for lost time. Milu is right behind her. We were all video chatting the other day, and you could see Milu was trying to figure out how we were all there, without actually being there.
---Isn't it amazing the technology that these kids are growing up in? I went all the way through college without a computer. The personal computer wasn't anywhere near on the market yet. In fact, we didn't get one until the boys were in preschool, and the operating system used DOS, so you had to input these long string of code to create some random picture. We've come a long way, baby.
---My link to the world is my computer. I'm grateful to be here at such a time as this, when technology has made keeping in touch an effortless venture.
---I wear long dresses to work. This school allows pants, but the other one didn't, so my closet just has dresses. The ladies in this culture are used to them and can navigate stairs, uneven pavements, with no problem. In fact, most of their dresses drag the floor. And yet, they gracefully glide through the day, with nary a missed step. We Western folk have to be careful not to trip, especially when we're on staircases.
---Speaking of dresses, under the all black abayas that the ladies wear, are the most colorful dresses imaginable. You can oftentimes get a peek of color at the cuffs of their dresses. Recently, at the end of the day when most of the men have left the building, the ladies took off their abayas and revealed dresses that are a kaleidoscope of color.
---Men. Yes, we have some men teachers who teach the boys. I think because of this, most of the women wear their faces covered, only uncovering when they're in their classrooms teaching. The men have to announce their presence before they enter a room, to give the ladies time to cover up. I have to remind them they don't have to do that to come to my office, but it's a necessary habit.
---The government provides a car and driver for all of the meetings we have to attend. I like being in control of when I come and go, so on most trips, I drive. Last week, there were several I attended, and by Thursday (our Friday), I was too tired, so I decided to go with the group that were being chauffeured. The women will not sit up front with the driver, so it was an easy decision for me to ride shotgun. If a woman is going somewhere alone, she must bring her housekeeper or nanny to ride with her. She's not allowed to be in a car with a man alone.
Well, this is it.
My world is on a steady, pretty uneventful course. Quite frankly, that's the other reason I haven't written much. There isn't much to tell.
On the other hand, maybe there is, but it has become a part of my world, and I don't see things so much as a newbie, but as an old hat.
Anyway, as always, thanks for sharing this ride with me.
With my move to the Western Region of Abu Dhabi, I've gone from dreading work to loving it. So much so, that the ideas and creativity continues to flow once I get home, so on many nights, I continue to work. On those nights I'm not actually working, my mind is still going like crazy.
In just over a week we'll be on Spring Break. I've booked a couple of trips and they will force me to think and do some other things.
Now for some random thoughts -
---I marvel at how fast Zadie and Milu are growing up. Zadie is holding full fledge conversations. It's like she's catching up on all those times she wanted to say something, but hadn't figured out how. She's making up for lost time. Milu is right behind her. We were all video chatting the other day, and you could see Milu was trying to figure out how we were all there, without actually being there.
---Isn't it amazing the technology that these kids are growing up in? I went all the way through college without a computer. The personal computer wasn't anywhere near on the market yet. In fact, we didn't get one until the boys were in preschool, and the operating system used DOS, so you had to input these long string of code to create some random picture. We've come a long way, baby.
---My link to the world is my computer. I'm grateful to be here at such a time as this, when technology has made keeping in touch an effortless venture.
---I wear long dresses to work. This school allows pants, but the other one didn't, so my closet just has dresses. The ladies in this culture are used to them and can navigate stairs, uneven pavements, with no problem. In fact, most of their dresses drag the floor. And yet, they gracefully glide through the day, with nary a missed step. We Western folk have to be careful not to trip, especially when we're on staircases.
---Speaking of dresses, under the all black abayas that the ladies wear, are the most colorful dresses imaginable. You can oftentimes get a peek of color at the cuffs of their dresses. Recently, at the end of the day when most of the men have left the building, the ladies took off their abayas and revealed dresses that are a kaleidoscope of color.
---Men. Yes, we have some men teachers who teach the boys. I think because of this, most of the women wear their faces covered, only uncovering when they're in their classrooms teaching. The men have to announce their presence before they enter a room, to give the ladies time to cover up. I have to remind them they don't have to do that to come to my office, but it's a necessary habit.
---The government provides a car and driver for all of the meetings we have to attend. I like being in control of when I come and go, so on most trips, I drive. Last week, there were several I attended, and by Thursday (our Friday), I was too tired, so I decided to go with the group that were being chauffeured. The women will not sit up front with the driver, so it was an easy decision for me to ride shotgun. If a woman is going somewhere alone, she must bring her housekeeper or nanny to ride with her. She's not allowed to be in a car with a man alone.
Well, this is it.
My world is on a steady, pretty uneventful course. Quite frankly, that's the other reason I haven't written much. There isn't much to tell.
On the other hand, maybe there is, but it has become a part of my world, and I don't see things so much as a newbie, but as an old hat.
Anyway, as always, thanks for sharing this ride with me.
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