S: Telling the truth is scary.
R: Would you like to tell me something?
S: Yes, but telling the truth is scary. Really scary.
S: Miss, did you know that here in Kuwait there is special chocolate that you can eat and it'll make you skinny?
R: (sigh) I wish.
R: Ok boys, when we get to school remember to thank our bus driver.
S: THANK YOU MARLBORO!!
R: Umm, habibi his name isn't Marlboro.
S: But that's what his name tag says... (looking at the pack of cigarettes resting on the dashboard)
S1: Once one of our maids ran away. I shouted at her and she ran away.
S2: You're not supposed to shout at them, that's haraam.
S1: She's not supposed to run away, that's haraam.
There is a long standing argument over whether or not one of my students is Kuwaiti. Despite his well known family name and good standing in this society, most of the boys are convinced that living in America has nullified that.
S: Miss, he's not Kuwaiti.
R: He lived in America for a few years but he is Kuwaiti.
S: He's not Kuwaiti. He's not. He lived in America that makes him American.
R: Well, I am American but now I live in Kuwait. Does that make me Kuwaiti?
S: pause... Yes
Friday, December 5, 2008
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Field Trip Fun
Today was such a fun day! Although several of my students started out a little grumpy, I think that all 10 of us – 7 students, Ms. Rana, one mom and I had a lot of fun. We spent the day at the Scientific Center. While planning where to take my students and how to connect it to an upcoming lesson I settled on the Scientific Center, having heard that the aquarium was a lot of fun. I will be starting a unit in Science about the oceans and thought that this would be a fun way to jump start our learning.
We left school around 9:15 and arrived at the Scientific Center around 9:40, after one very close call with a speeding taxi. After buying the tickets to the Aquarium and IMAX movie (chaperones were free woohoo) I brought the boys to the two dine in restaurants located in the building – Burger King and Pizza Hut. We placed our orders, paid and asked for the food to be ready for 11:30.
After getting the lunch orders taken care of, I took my class outside. The Scientific Center is right on the water and made a beautiful background for taking pictures. We also got to look at a very old Kuwaiti sailing ship. The weather was absolutely beautiful today. It has been a nice change from the 118 degrees in August to the temperature staying in the high 60s this week.
After our short trip outside we headed in to the IMAX theater. Although there were many grumbles and loud sighs because Deep Sea “isn’t as cool as Mummies” my boys sure seemed to enjoy it. It was my second or third time seeing an IMAX movie and I couldn’t help but be in awe throughout the film. I’ve always loved the ocean and been memorized by its beauty. For a long time, my dream job was to be a marine biologist so that I could play with dolphins and spend time in the water. While I couldn’t be happier with my career choice, I still love the ocean and its beautiful fish and plant life, subhanAllah.
Planning ahead sure paid off. It turns out the Scientific Center is a very popular field trip location; there were at least 10 if not more classes of 20-30 children. Not having to wait in line for food made having seven hungry boys manageable. After lunch we made our way to the aquarium. I was surprised by the number of non-aquatic animals they had on display; bats, hedgehogs, lynx, mice and snacks to name a few. The aquarium part was nice. There was one very large tank with four of five sharks, manta rays and many large varieties of fish.
Our last stop was the gift shop where I was pleasantly surprised by the items my students picked out. Most of the boys were given 5 KD (equivalent of 20 USD) to spend. Three out of the seven boys decided to purchase items for members of their family. One student pulled me aside and said, “Miss. Can you help me find something for my mom? I want to get her something really nice.” I was so proud of them, having bins of toys and knick knacks at their fingertips and deciding to bring something back for their moms, sisters, and one “very special” grandma.
Alhamdulillah it was such a nice day. Tomorrow is our last day of school before the four week winter break. Our Special Events Committee has planned an afternoon of “fun and games” which will be a nice wrap up to a busy but very successful first three months of school.
Coming home update: I have two suitcases almost completely packed, with an inventory of what is contained in each. I’m down to having my last load of laundry which will go in tomorrow night and traveling outfit picked out. Itinerary is printed and I have a ride to and from the airport. Two days and so excited!
We left school around 9:15 and arrived at the Scientific Center around 9:40, after one very close call with a speeding taxi. After buying the tickets to the Aquarium and IMAX movie (chaperones were free woohoo) I brought the boys to the two dine in restaurants located in the building – Burger King and Pizza Hut. We placed our orders, paid and asked for the food to be ready for 11:30.
After getting the lunch orders taken care of, I took my class outside. The Scientific Center is right on the water and made a beautiful background for taking pictures. We also got to look at a very old Kuwaiti sailing ship. The weather was absolutely beautiful today. It has been a nice change from the 118 degrees in August to the temperature staying in the high 60s this week.
After our short trip outside we headed in to the IMAX theater. Although there were many grumbles and loud sighs because Deep Sea “isn’t as cool as Mummies” my boys sure seemed to enjoy it. It was my second or third time seeing an IMAX movie and I couldn’t help but be in awe throughout the film. I’ve always loved the ocean and been memorized by its beauty. For a long time, my dream job was to be a marine biologist so that I could play with dolphins and spend time in the water. While I couldn’t be happier with my career choice, I still love the ocean and its beautiful fish and plant life, subhanAllah.
Planning ahead sure paid off. It turns out the Scientific Center is a very popular field trip location; there were at least 10 if not more classes of 20-30 children. Not having to wait in line for food made having seven hungry boys manageable. After lunch we made our way to the aquarium. I was surprised by the number of non-aquatic animals they had on display; bats, hedgehogs, lynx, mice and snacks to name a few. The aquarium part was nice. There was one very large tank with four of five sharks, manta rays and many large varieties of fish.
Our last stop was the gift shop where I was pleasantly surprised by the items my students picked out. Most of the boys were given 5 KD (equivalent of 20 USD) to spend. Three out of the seven boys decided to purchase items for members of their family. One student pulled me aside and said, “Miss. Can you help me find something for my mom? I want to get her something really nice.” I was so proud of them, having bins of toys and knick knacks at their fingertips and deciding to bring something back for their moms, sisters, and one “very special” grandma.
Alhamdulillah it was such a nice day. Tomorrow is our last day of school before the four week winter break. Our Special Events Committee has planned an afternoon of “fun and games” which will be a nice wrap up to a busy but very successful first three months of school.
Coming home update: I have two suitcases almost completely packed, with an inventory of what is contained in each. I’m down to having my last load of laundry which will go in tomorrow night and traveling outfit picked out. Itinerary is printed and I have a ride to and from the airport. Two days and so excited!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wake up call
I’ve been using my cell phone as an alarm clock for the past three, maybe four years. It has been reliable at getting me up throughout classes, exams, student teaching, and work up until this morning.
My cell phone has a setting that allows you to program in three times, three different alarms, a feature that I really enjoy. The first alarm is for fajr, the early morning prayer. This morning, like clockwork (pun intended), my alarm went off a few minutes before the imam from the masjid next door called the 30 minute wake up fajr athan (call to prayer), helping get people up and out of their beds and giving them time to get dressed and to the mosque for prayer. After praying and climbing back into bed I remember looking at my cell phone, checking and double checking to make sure the alarm was set.
I have a thing about punctuality. I hate (I hate the word hate but in this case it’s fitting) being late or having people wait on me. Because of that, I am almost always the first person on our morning bus to school and have the job of knocking on the van door to gently wake our driver while he takes a short nap.
My second two alarms are always set for a few minutes before 6; I shower at night and look forward to getting in a little sleep after fajr. The first alarm goes off at 5:57 AM. 5:55 just looks too early and 5:58 makes me feel too rushed. The second is always set for 6:00, as a backup just in case I am feeling really sleepy or a warning to get going if I am being sluggish and taking my time getting ready.
This morning my wake up call came from my very unique bird chirping doorbell. Jumping out of bed I ran to the door and heard one of the teacher’s voices saying “Rebecca, are you ok?” I shouted yes and that I must have overslept. She said to not worry and that she was glad I was safe. The people on the bus were not mad about waiting 7 minutes past our usual departure but rather relieved that nothing had happened to me.
That morning wake up call came at 6:37. I quickly did wudu (washing your body in preparation for prayer), threw on some clothes and a bit of makeup, brushed my teeth, ironed and put on my hijab and was out the door by 6:50. I went out to the street where normally every other car that goes by is a taxi. This morning there wasn’t a taxi in sight. I walked/ran about a third of the way to school until I found a taxi. As I got in I breathed a sigh of relief and checked my watch. 6:56.
Alhamdulillah I was able to communicate with the driver, giving directions to the school (left and right) with my hands and didn’t hit any traffic. I walked in the gates of school at 7:00. A mere 15-18 minutes past when the bus normally drops me off but not too bad for getting a very late start.
I just downloaded a free alarm clock to my desktop that allows me set a song to wake up to. I selected one of my favorites from my nasheed cd (thanks to Sania) and have tested it three times just to be sure... let's hope this hectic morning was a a one time thing, inshAllah.
Countdown update: three days until my 14 hour flight to DC and then one and a half hour flight to Bradley, inshAllah. Yikes, I need to start packing.
My cell phone has a setting that allows you to program in three times, three different alarms, a feature that I really enjoy. The first alarm is for fajr, the early morning prayer. This morning, like clockwork (pun intended), my alarm went off a few minutes before the imam from the masjid next door called the 30 minute wake up fajr athan (call to prayer), helping get people up and out of their beds and giving them time to get dressed and to the mosque for prayer. After praying and climbing back into bed I remember looking at my cell phone, checking and double checking to make sure the alarm was set.
I have a thing about punctuality. I hate (I hate the word hate but in this case it’s fitting) being late or having people wait on me. Because of that, I am almost always the first person on our morning bus to school and have the job of knocking on the van door to gently wake our driver while he takes a short nap.
My second two alarms are always set for a few minutes before 6; I shower at night and look forward to getting in a little sleep after fajr. The first alarm goes off at 5:57 AM. 5:55 just looks too early and 5:58 makes me feel too rushed. The second is always set for 6:00, as a backup just in case I am feeling really sleepy or a warning to get going if I am being sluggish and taking my time getting ready.
This morning my wake up call came from my very unique bird chirping doorbell. Jumping out of bed I ran to the door and heard one of the teacher’s voices saying “Rebecca, are you ok?” I shouted yes and that I must have overslept. She said to not worry and that she was glad I was safe. The people on the bus were not mad about waiting 7 minutes past our usual departure but rather relieved that nothing had happened to me.
That morning wake up call came at 6:37. I quickly did wudu (washing your body in preparation for prayer), threw on some clothes and a bit of makeup, brushed my teeth, ironed and put on my hijab and was out the door by 6:50. I went out to the street where normally every other car that goes by is a taxi. This morning there wasn’t a taxi in sight. I walked/ran about a third of the way to school until I found a taxi. As I got in I breathed a sigh of relief and checked my watch. 6:56.
Alhamdulillah I was able to communicate with the driver, giving directions to the school (left and right) with my hands and didn’t hit any traffic. I walked in the gates of school at 7:00. A mere 15-18 minutes past when the bus normally drops me off but not too bad for getting a very late start.
I just downloaded a free alarm clock to my desktop that allows me set a song to wake up to. I selected one of my favorites from my nasheed cd (thanks to Sania) and have tested it three times just to be sure... let's hope this hectic morning was a a one time thing, inshAllah.
Countdown update: three days until my 14 hour flight to DC and then one and a half hour flight to Bradley, inshAllah. Yikes, I need to start packing.
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