Sunday: Finally cooking with gas, the gas man came and
brought my gas cylinder. Now I‘ll have more variety in my diet and hot meals.
Had a long meeting after school to day so I missed my beach walk, but went to
the grocery store with someone instead. Then took a walk up the road by our
apartment to see what was on the other side of the large overpass tunnel down
the road, just more buildings and construction.
There are some Yahoos with 4
wheelers who drive up and down our road (where cars go), no helmets, and doing
pop a wheelies day and night.
Today, Monday was my medical, driver Saeed and a lady Colthe took me there. I
had my eyes checked (the old E chart, up, down, left , right), was weighed and height
measured and then off to another building for blood work, EEG, blood pressure, chest
Xray and for a dentist to look in my
mouth and say OK. Now I should be able
to get a resident card….and a car. The hospital was a very busy place with
ladies with all types of face covers, some all covered, some with sort of a
Batman type mask covering basically the nose, eyebrows and forehead and most with just plain
headscarves. All wearing some style of Abaya which is a long flowing black light
garment which covers their clothing. The men mostly wear their disdashas, the
long robe the boys wear at school. They wear many light shades but white is their ‘Sunday best’. They
all wear a kuma which is the embroidered hat, the boys at school wear and some
have a scarf over it wound around their head. The boys wear the disdasha in class but take
it off to play football outside . My medical took a long time, Saeed said
usually he is able to get the teachers in early (jump line) but since he has
been coming so often they just aren’t giving him much preference anymore.
I arrived back in school just in time for my math class with
the boys and then went off to a PYP meeting and in the middle of it, we got the
news, classes dismissed due to approaching dust storm. What a scramble, no PA
system so it was not a smooth operation.
Finally we got all the kids off to buses or drivers and we went home.
Doesn’t look too bad yet but it’s hazy and a bit windy.
These boys are so loud, they have to emphasize ever point by
raising their voice. My biggest hurdle
now is for them to raise their hands to talk and to speak in an inside voice.
Needless to say their breaks are often quite short. We are making progress and
I’m moving from only being able to do work that requires no movement or
interaction to more collaborative activities. They are all actually nice boys but they all have
high energy.
This evening a group of us went bowling at a place near the
school. I think 10 pin bowling, the type with the large heavy ball, reminds me
of the kind Fred Flintstone had. Afterwards we went to an outdoor restaurant by
the sea were the waves were rolling in because of the storm, but….it wasn’t a
bit cold. Couldn’t believe it! So nice and warm.
The wadi or dry stream bed near my building. During a rain it is a torrent of water.
See the people on the sand dunes near my house
Heavy security around this place.
Bowling with teachers
Supper afterwards at place very near the beach
