We have now been in Egypt for 5 months. Where has the time gone? When I look at pictures of the kids when we first got here, they look tiny! Princess is quickly outgrowing many of her beautiful dresses and Dimples is talking up a storm. So much can change in such a short period of time. For those of you back home, our kids probably look like giants since they left. For us, the change with them has been gradual, but from time to time, I get a glimpse of what was and what is yet to come.
The biggest change in the last week has been my teaching assignment change. It was a whirlwind of emotion. I never liked math when I was in school, and yet, when I taught it, I felt like a natural...I realize now that it is my teaching ability that was natural and my innate sense of life long learning got me through the math part.
I have been in my new assignment for a week and have thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of teaching in one room, teaching two classes of kids only, in only two subjects. It is comforting to know that my classroom is my classroom and I do not have to share it anymore! I can say that the transition has settled, that the students have adjusted and life can continue as normal. The emotional freight train that plowed through my life last week has come to a halt and now, it is just me and the grade 7's.
It seems strange to think of getting settled. When we were in Winnipeg, no matter where we lived, we always felt settled. It did not matter what house we lived in, we had our routine. Princess took dance and swimming, Dimples went wherever we went and we were settled in our church, and our jobs. When we moved to Egypt we uprooted everything. After being here 5 months we are just getting into the hang of some things.
For example, today, when we picked Princess up from school she asked to go to a friends house and play. I remember asking my mom the same question after school when I was little. I do not know why it caught me off guard. Of course I said yes, and Princess drove off with another little girl and her mom. It was the first "play date" Princess has ever had without me being there, let alone, the first play date she has had since we moved to Egypt. Sure, she has played with the kids on the street, but, this was half way across town. It was a big step. But, that big step is all a part of the process of getting settled.
When I look around our flat, I feel settled. When I walk around our neighborhood, I feel settled. At school I am so incredibly comfortable. But culturally, I still feel a void. We have started getting to know people, but, the Arabic language barrier has been an incredible challenge to approach. I have always had a knack for picking language up in a hurry because I NEED to be able to talk to people, to get to know people and be involved in the lives of those around me. But, all the languages I have ever tried to learn have been either phonetic, or had letters like in the English language. If I can read it, I can pick it up relatively quickly. Arabic script is beautiful but I cannot tell the difference between an A or a B in Arabic script. I have had a couple of very interested students that have been teaching me colloquial Arabic, but that is the Arabic of the street. Not "real" Arabic.
Not to say that I have not tried, but, in the process of getting settled, it continues to get pushed back to the dark, grey areas of my mind. I do not think that I will officially feel settled until I can communicate with people on our street that cannot read or write. But, in the meantime, we are as settled as we can be! Bring on month number six and all its unexpected surprises that await us. Perhaps I will pick up a few more words of Arabic, that would be a wonderful surprise!
The biggest change in the last week has been my teaching assignment change. It was a whirlwind of emotion. I never liked math when I was in school, and yet, when I taught it, I felt like a natural...I realize now that it is my teaching ability that was natural and my innate sense of life long learning got me through the math part.
I have been in my new assignment for a week and have thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of teaching in one room, teaching two classes of kids only, in only two subjects. It is comforting to know that my classroom is my classroom and I do not have to share it anymore! I can say that the transition has settled, that the students have adjusted and life can continue as normal. The emotional freight train that plowed through my life last week has come to a halt and now, it is just me and the grade 7's.
It seems strange to think of getting settled. When we were in Winnipeg, no matter where we lived, we always felt settled. It did not matter what house we lived in, we had our routine. Princess took dance and swimming, Dimples went wherever we went and we were settled in our church, and our jobs. When we moved to Egypt we uprooted everything. After being here 5 months we are just getting into the hang of some things.
For example, today, when we picked Princess up from school she asked to go to a friends house and play. I remember asking my mom the same question after school when I was little. I do not know why it caught me off guard. Of course I said yes, and Princess drove off with another little girl and her mom. It was the first "play date" Princess has ever had without me being there, let alone, the first play date she has had since we moved to Egypt. Sure, she has played with the kids on the street, but, this was half way across town. It was a big step. But, that big step is all a part of the process of getting settled.
When I look around our flat, I feel settled. When I walk around our neighborhood, I feel settled. At school I am so incredibly comfortable. But culturally, I still feel a void. We have started getting to know people, but, the Arabic language barrier has been an incredible challenge to approach. I have always had a knack for picking language up in a hurry because I NEED to be able to talk to people, to get to know people and be involved in the lives of those around me. But, all the languages I have ever tried to learn have been either phonetic, or had letters like in the English language. If I can read it, I can pick it up relatively quickly. Arabic script is beautiful but I cannot tell the difference between an A or a B in Arabic script. I have had a couple of very interested students that have been teaching me colloquial Arabic, but that is the Arabic of the street. Not "real" Arabic.
Not to say that I have not tried, but, in the process of getting settled, it continues to get pushed back to the dark, grey areas of my mind. I do not think that I will officially feel settled until I can communicate with people on our street that cannot read or write. But, in the meantime, we are as settled as we can be! Bring on month number six and all its unexpected surprises that await us. Perhaps I will pick up a few more words of Arabic, that would be a wonderful surprise!
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