Ok, so I haven't Blogged for a long time. I guess I've been busy!
We went back to the USA in April and I didn't return to Qatar until June. That was a bit longer than I wanted to spend there, but I got a lot of stuff done. I moved our storage items to a Climate Controlled Storage Unit, where I can visit it when I am in the USA and I don't have to pay to see it. It was stored at Graebel Storage, where they charge by the weight and they charged me $150. just to look at it. If you want to open it, that will cost you more.
When I returned to Doha, I was here for five days and off we went to Phuket, Thailand. Our second time within 12 months. We had a glorious time. This time we attended Diving School to become Open Water Divers. We are contemplating going to Oman and the Maldives to dive relatively soon.
We are in Ramadan season now. It is an interesting time of the year to be in Qatar. No food or drink in public, including the privacy of your own automobile is allowed during daylight hours. The Muslims stay up until 2 or 3 AM eating and partying, oh I meant to say praying. Ramadan is suppose to be a time for them to reflect on their faith and fast, and avoid temptation. However, as with any religion there are so many followers that misuse the time. Plus the fact that the Government does what they can to remove as much temptation as possible. It appears that for a true believer that the task is relatively easy. However, most of the workers that work outdoors are Muslim. They work out in 120F (with 80% Humidity) and cannot have anything to eat or drink, not even water. I would imagine that they get dehydrated and sleep deprived during this time. They are suppose to read the entire Koran during this month.
We have plans to go to Norway to visit some friends during Eid Ul-Fitr, which is celebration of the end of Ramadan, and also the first week of September. Jim has off of work for that week.
I have been busy with training my maid, Emebet to be a gardener. She comes every morning at 5 AM for 3-1/2 hours. In addition to her regular cleaning, she is watering the yard in between tasks. She can turn on the sprinklers just like the compound gardeners can! She pulls weeds, cleans up leaves in the yard, cleans the patio everyday and it is so nice to have her here to do things as I need them done. She frees up a lot of my time. Mostly, she spoils me! She loves working in the yard!
I've sent a lot of time creating new art work. I will post some photos.
I decided to take a job working as an English Tutor for Oxford Learning School. All the sessions are different every hour. I usually work 2 hours a day/4 days a week, but that varies by how many students are signed up in any given week. I tutor 3 students at a time, which are all on different levels. It is a very expensive school, therefore it is mostly Qatari kids. The ages are from 4-18+. It is a challenge teaching them mostly because they are not used to having to do something that someone else tells them to do. And then, for them to follow through with the request. Oooh, that would be an expectation. I get a lot of blank stares, or looks like I have three heads.
The other day I was teaching a student and he decided to write on the table with his highlighter. I told him to go to the restroom and get a paper towel and come back and clean the table. He told me NO! So, I told him another 3 or 4 times. He told me "no" and proceeded to wipe it with his hand. I thought to myself, ok whatever works for you. Their parents are paying for them to come to a very expensive school to better their English Language, and if they want to goof off, that is a choice that they can make. I make notes in my comment section about things like that, and that gets passed on to their parents. For the most part they are well behaved children, at least while they are at school.
The students typically want me to give them the answers. I tell them that they will not learn if I give them the answers. They agree with me, but still want me to do the work for them.
There is a little boy that I had last week that the school is still trying to figure out. When he holds his pencil with the right hand, he holds it between his ring finger and his pinky. So, I showed him how to hold his pencil and he puts the pencil in his left hand and holds it correctly, but cannot write with it. I contend that someone showed him how to write that was left-handed. I contend that he is right-handed. He has other issues and wants the teacher's undivided attention. That's a problem. We have to divide our time evenly, or somewhat evenly.
Yesterday, I had two of Emir H.H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani's daughters in my class. They were both very lovely and very reserved. They are treated as any other student. They are not treated as royalty.
I am definitely getting practice on how to pronounce Arab names. The kids do not hesitate to correct me!
No comments:
Post a Comment