Springtime and other transitory things

Time goes quickly here. The school year seems so long at the beginning, and when people post days left until the end, those numbers make it seem even longer... This is true of school breaks as well, because suddenly you have all this time and then you wake up again and it is back to school. I haven't even written a word about our spring holiday and in three weeks, my grade 12 students will stop coming so they can prepare for exams. In about two months we will be headed to the US for our first visit since we moved to the UAE in 2011. I am sad that the last day of school is July 4th because it is one of my favorite holidays, but this year we can take comfort in knowing we'll be seeing family & friends for BBQs & picnics, even if we miss out on the fireworks.

For our spring holiday, we mostly stayed around town. It was nice to have the family time, do dinners with friends, and just recharge from a chaotic first term back after my fabulous maternity leave. We did take a mini family vacation out to the western region of Abu Dhabi (think very remote and a bit barren). We went with our expat extended family and enjoyed pool time, meals, camel rides, and Rob even went out on a quad (4-wheeler, not chair lift) with the other husbands.

This term back at school has not been without its challenges, but I feel like I have a better grasp on the curriculum this term (because I was part of the planning!). The girls are already planning their graduation celebrations and in the office the phrase, "Next year, we should....", is increasing in its appearance.

Our family started this year planning to return to the US, but we have reconsidered that decision and are planning to extend our time here. This is a bit of a bittersweet decision because many of our friends who started this journey with us (from the "oh my God, we are going to Abu Dhabi" stage) are completing their UAE experiences. Every year we've had to say goodbyes, and this year it seems like there are a lot more farewells. We, of course, have made friends who will be completing their "newbie" year and others who extend beyond their initial two year contract, but it reminds you that we live in a country and a community that is constantly in flux. You make friends faster here than you would ever do at home because you know time is short, but the shared experiences and need to rely on one another create strong bonds that you would never imagine happening in other circumstances. But I'm going to hold off on the farewell post until the end of June because I don't want to think about how much I'm going to miss the people who have been such a rich part of our experience.

Vacation at last...

I haven't always been a teacher or a student, but in recent years, the end of February means vacation. This was the first year in recent memory that there was no break.  Yesterday was the first day of my spring break...

Since November, we've been trying to use our Cobone to get to Ras al Khaimah and Iceland Waterpark. Every time we tried to book a date, it was booked for that entire month. I had despaired of ever using it, when the travel agency called with a one day availability. This meant leaving after work, which mind you is an hour's drive away from my home in the midst of the desert, and traveling over three hours more to Ras al Khaimah on typical UAE directions (which means confusing as heck).  After many wrong turns, and roads, we arrived in time to eat dinner and get to bed. Rob and Belle had a bit more energy and ordered room service for dessert.

Then after a leisurely breakfast and walkabout at the hotel, we headed back into the car with more UAE directions and eventually found Iceland Waterpark. After much coaxing, Belle finally tried some of the big slides and we had a wonderful day. We're looking forward to going back to Iceland again. Now, it's on to prepare for our trip to Turkey.

Vacation is off to a wonderful start.

Coming home...

These past few days, Belle & I had the pleasure of being with some of the people we love the best in the world, namely my best pal (her godmother/namesake), Audrey, and Belle's best pal since birth, Katelyn.  We spent most of our spring vacation savoring their company and the beautiful region where Audrey has settled with her wonderful husband, Josh.  We introduced Katie to the wonders of Hokie Nation (which were first introduced to us through Josh at our initial meeting during the annual holiday baking - he started whipping up maroon & orange icing for Christmas cookies). We also spent some time enjoying nature through visits to local attractions, zoos, parks, and a stop at Dixie Caverns.  Not to mention, a stop for our sweet tooth at Bubble Cake (ok, it took us two visits to get there because the first day it wasn't open!).

It is hard to know that in a few short months our 13 hour car ride will be evolving into a plane ride of that length.  Distance from loved ones is hard, and it makes me think about how we will stay in touch and keep these relationships as close as they are today. I am comforted by the closeness I feel for the sister of my heart, and the closeness I observe between my daughter and her friend that no longer lives two houses away.  We've managed to maintain these relationships despite changes in our lives, including varying degrees of physical distance. Although we will be leaving this continent, I know there is a piece of these people that will come with us, just like we will leave pieces of ourselves behind.

Saying goodbye yesterday gave us our first taste of how hard it will be, but was also an important reminder that it really isn't farewell - it is: we'll see you soon.

"Thirty is hot..."

When Belle was learning Celsius temperatures, her teacher taught her a rhyme: "30 is hot, 20 is pleasing, 10 is cold, and 0 is freezing."  One of the teachers who has been working in Abu Dhabi for awhile posted this recent information for all of the US (non-metric system) people: 10C=50F  28C=82F   36C=96F  40C=104F  48C=118F..... So hello, heat wave says this northern girl!

The good news...

I came home to find an envelope from the NH Secretary of State's office, so part one of the document authentication is complete AND I received a phone call from the NH State Police Criminal Records people, who have promised to send me my criminal record report (I filed the initial request almost two months ago - this is request number two) after it is processed tomorrow. Yay, me!

Then I went to the US Department of State and downloaded their lovely cover letter for step two of the authentication process (which the website says will take 15 days, but other people who have already completed this step have indicated is closer to 30 days). I'm going to express mail it tomorrow (well, technically, Rob will be doing that as I have one more day of school before vacation) and keep my fingers crossed that this part will take only one attempt and I will return from Virginia to find copies of all the NH paperwork I need done.  I do have to contact Plymouth State (again) and ask for a letter that states they are accredited so I can send that to the UAE Embassy. And the last part of authentication: verify that we aren't taking any restricted medications or those will need to be authenticated too.

I received my first newsletter from the ADEC to begin preparing for the next school year, and I have started to move out of the positions I currently hold at my school - handing off the school wide summer reading program, winter carnival ball planning, and beginning the process of cleaning out my classroom.  I've started to list (and sell!) my vast library of books on Amazon - so if you want something, please let me know. We are planning on having a mega yard sale Memorial Day weekend (so mark your calendars) - with sales starting earlier if spring really has arrived.

Tomorrow night, I am going to go to church and make Ukrainian eggs for Easter (for those of you familiar with my artistic talent, this should be interesting! Thank goodness my church is not judgemental!).  Saturday morning, Belle and I are off to Virginia with Katie Courageous to visit Audrey & Josh.  I'm going to take everyone's advice and spend as much time as possible with everyone I can before we leave on our grand adventure. Please let me know the best way to get in touch with you so we can see you all before we go. Summer always goes by so quickly and I have a feeling that it will be even more so this year.

Less than forty school days left and only 16 weeks until the first group of teachers (which may include me) fly over to Abu Dhabi...