New Year, New Country, New Adventure

From the street

family room awaiting a bigass tv

What a difference a year makes!

living room

dining

We just finished our first week (and a full first week at that) with our students but we arrived three weeks ago. And there was the first difference. Carol and I both arrived on the same plane without any mishaps. Direct from SFO to Dubai was actually not that bad. Fifteen hours in an Emirates flight is tolerable even in economy. Each seat has its own screen and controller, so the choice of movies, TV shows, radio, games and interactive maps provided lots of diversions. Our flight headed north out of San Francisco just to the east of the Napa Valley so it was a wonderful way to say “hasta la vista” to the Bay Area. North we flew, right over the top. I looked for the red and white striped pole but never saw it. Oh well maybe next trip. And then we flew south into the Middle East.

We arrived in Doha at 4:30 AM with all of our luggage and were greeted in the lobby by assorted principals and vice principals with warm welcomes. Their parting words as we left the airport, “Um, first meeting is at 8:30 AM.” And so we began. Between totally wacked-out body clocks, adrenaline and caffeine, it worked just fine.

Counter space!!! Loking into familyroom

So how does living in Qatar differ from Kuwait? We are now in a three bedroom house with a great kitchen, private front yard with a palapa and our own car in the carport. We live 4 blocks from school, so once the weather cools we will be able to walk to work, but for now it is a short drive. We will miss our commuting buddies but not the 6:30 AM start or calling shue-shue from the back of the bus. Other differences… more abayas & veils, beer, slower traffic, wine, less impressive malls, rum, quieter calls to prayer, vodka, no bakalas/KD chicken, The Syndicate. But it is still the Middle East, so when we disembarked from the airplane into Doha airport, the sights, sounds, smells and stifling heat felt familiar and somehow like home.

Full size stove and more counter space.

The biggest difference for us though, is school. The requisite Mission, Vision and Values are posted in every classroom and office throughout the school, just like most other schools. The difference is that everyone knows them and lives them, from the Superintendent to the support staff, everyone. Honesty, respect, responsibility and compassion. And the very first statement in the vision says “Learning is fun.” It shows. The kids love coming to school. And they come from all over the world into our classes. American, Canadian, Qatari, Norwegian, Lebanese, Japanese, Korean, Aussie, Kiwi… you get the picture. It is a veritable United Nations. So far they all are exceeding our expectations. If anything, it is a bit daunting thinking about how to keep the curriculum engaging and challenging.

Front yard

The facilities at school are off the charts - track, gym, workout facilities, pools (not three pools, just two -both full size), fields, etc. Our classrooms are good sized but Alan also has an office in the team room so that he and his teammates can collaborate. Each grade level has a commons area with seating and tables so students can relax and socialize during breaks.

And then there is technology. All teachers received Mac books. All of Alan’s students will receive netbooks. The technology works and we are expected to use it. Carol is getting her smartboard next week (inshallah) and is not quite sure what she is getting into. One of Alan’s students laughed at him last week as Alan turned on the overhead projector. Some teasing comment about old school.

Front door

Soooo, all is good!

Hope is going well with you.
Love Alan and Carol