Parent Teacher Conferences, School, Thanksgiving and Birthday

So today, Thanksgiving day in the States and my little brother's birthday (shout out to Josh! You're growing up so fast!!!), I am sitting at school having parent teacher conferences. In Bahrain, the parent teacher conferences are simply a school day without students. You come and sit in your classroom for the whole day and as parents come and go you talk to them about their students. I'm actually not nervous because of the great experience I had last year at Westside. I had some great direction from Patrick and Kim! I did the same thing as last year and made a list of tips for EARNING an "A" in my classes. I hope that the students actually take it to heart and start trying.

Of course just like the states, it's the students with the best grades in class whose parents show up. Then I have had a couple of the other extreme (failing students) whose parents have showed up. I explain everything I have done to try and help their students and I gave them my tips but I'm really curious to see if things are actually going to change. I'm just happy that none of the parents have tried to pin their student's grades on to me as their teacher. I can defend every grade I submitted, so I'm not worried; I was just told that this situation could happen. We will see how the rest of the day goes!

When I am not talking to a parent I am grading my tests from the past week. I almost want to cry. I have only had five students pass and I have almost corrected 50 tests. It is simply disheartening. I have no clue what else to do. I lectured, had them watch videos that retaught the concepts, gave them a study guide, posted the notes on the website, gave them in class time to study... I simply feel like I am running out of options to try and help them. A teacher can only do so much to aid students in their studies. If I could inject the information into their brain I would but it takes time and it's a hard subject to learn. Most of them don't understand that they have to do work outside of class to really know everything really well. I don't feel like there is enough time in class to teach them AND help them apply the knowledge. We have so much stress to "finish the book" and stay with the yearly lesson plan that I have to rush through each chapter. I thought this time I had timed it right though; I thought I gave them a diverse set of materials to be successful, I posted items on the website early... and now, this is their worst test yet. I feel like I'm running out of options and I just don't know how to help them. Students can't stay after school because of the bus, during lunch they only have 20 minutes to eat, before school they aren't allowed in the building... I just have no clue how to help them. I have no clue what other methods I can try. I'm feel like a terrible teacher in the moment yet, many my students say I'm doing a great job and that when I explain things to them they actually understand it.

Well, that was my venting session for the day. Hopefully I can evaluate my teaching currently and look for tips from other teachers in the building. I simply want my students to feel like they can learn the material and at the same time, I don't want to take out ALL the details and only teach the big picture. We will see what happens!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am missing you all today and wish me luck for the rest of conferences!

Happy birthday bro :)

Rain in Bahrain!

So an amazing event happened two days ago! On November 20, 2012 it rained in Bahrain! By rain, I do not mean some small feat either, it was actually POURING! The rain started to fall the previous night, I was upstairs in the gym running and suddenly my roommate Tricia and two other teachers come barging into the gym exclaiming that it was raining! I jumped off the treadmill and stepped outside to fell small droplets begin to fall. It was a small sprinkle at the time but, those few little drops felt more refreshing than rain ever has. Other teachers came to join us as well... we even took pictures! I was told that last year it only rained ONCE the ENTIRE year, this was a moment in Bahrain history for me.
The next morning, as I looked out the window, the rain clouds were still heavy in the sky. As I walked outside I realized that is was STILL RAINING :) Super happy! We packed into the car to drive to school and as we were pulling out, it started to pour! I mean, a really good rain. One that if you are out in it for thee minutes, maybe even one, you are soaked from head to toe. This torrential down pour continued for about 10 minutes and then it was over; but in the process, the streets were literally flooded. There was at least three inches of water running down all the streets around the school. The dirt lost where we normally part had a miniature lake in it. A guy ran through it and the water came up past his ankles. I guess the saying holds true in Bahrain... when it rains it pours.
As I stepped out of the car, it was still pouring and since I was already wet, I decided to make the best of it. I stepped into the school courtyard and started dancing :) I splashed in the puddles and twirled around... some of my students even said they saw me dancing in the rain. I don't think I will ever grow up... and I'm perfectly fine with that!

The Beach and the Passport

So, I am writing today after my week has calmed down some. We have a three day weekend this week so I'm sure tomorrow will be crazy with the students BUT overall, things are going well... very well... in comparison to two days ago; and so my story begins.

On Friday night, Jodi, Tricia, Cathy and I decided to go night swimming at the beach I mentioned previously, Al Jazayir. We went out around 10 pm after we went out for Mexican. I personally do not like night swimming, it makes me nervous because that's when all the big fish come out. As I am walking into the water, my legs start tingling. It's a slight burning feeling and I wasn't quite sure why. Suddenly, we realized that when we moved in the water, it glowed. In Bahrain, there is bioluminescence in the water! Although this is a really cool thing, all I could think about was how the dinoflagelletes causing this phenomenon, are toxic. These are the same creatures that cause red tide. This is the only thing I can attribute to the burning sensation on my skin ha ha. I actually got out of the water for a little bit and then, after being coaxed by my friends, I decided to walk back into the light show. Although my friends were only 500 feet ahead, I could not see them at all. The cover over the water was so thick! I literally had to follow their voices until I could see them. As I walked into the water a second time, I have to admit, it was very neat to watch the water around my feet and legs glow green briefly. I stood there and just swished my hands around some. It was as if glowing green and blue confetti was flying off my arms and into the water as I moved. It also amazed me how quickly the organisms would stop glowing green. You could pick up a handful of water with some green and then 3 seconds later it would just look normal. It really was a cool experience and one that I did not think I would ever see. I have added a link to a youtube video showing an EXTREME case of bioluminescence if you have no clue what I am talking about :)   (click on this ^)
Here is another link that explains red tide and why it is caused a little more!

Another amazing thing about going to the beach at night is that you can actually see the stars. In Juffair, you can see ten stars on a good night. Then, you drive 25 minutes to the beach and you can see so many! I could see more stars than I can on any given night in Omaha. It was so beautiful. Here I am, during the second week of November, in a swim suit, in the ocean, in bioluminescent water, staring into the night sky with hundreds of stars that I have not gazed upon in quite some time. It was a splendid night. As we left the beach, none of us could stop raving about all the events of the evening. Life was good.

The next day, I was working on finishing my lessons for school this week. I took my flash to the print shop to have tests printed and as I went to pay, I realized that I did not have my wallet/passport holder. Remembering that I had placed it in the bag I took to the beach the previous night, I walked home to find the missing item. As I looked through my room and searched in my apartment and through the car and in other people's rooms, I came to the realization that this VERY IMPORTANT factor of my life was missing. Not only did it have my money, the holder also contained my passport (which I need to go to Dubai), my bank and, my driver's license (the whole reason I took it with), my CPR card and my health insurance card... so it was a little imperative that I find it immediately. I drove back to the beach and searched where we were, not there. Checked at the cold store at the beach, not there. The security officer there gave me the number to the trash company and to the police. My friend Jodi (who is way more patient with accents than I am) called the police and the trash company so the search could begin. The trash company said they would look through their trash and the police said they would meet us at the beach. When they arrived, they looked around where I had already looked and then asked if I could follow them to their station so I could fill out a report. We followed them to the police station; I received a crazed look because I had waited so long to fill out the report (less than 24 hours). Once the report was final I had to cancel my bank card, just in case someone used it and then the next day I would have to go to ANOTHER police station to have a card made that pretty much said I had lost everything and please replace it for me. Later that night, after returning home, Jodi called me and told me to jump on my computer and write to the US Embassy because there was a waiting list of FOUR WEEKS to even meet with Embassy to talk about replacing my passport... not very helpful for my trip in 10 days. So, I sent the email and made the game plan for the next day.

Next day, second period of my day... my phone is ringing so I answer and all I can comprehend is that the person on the other side of the line is saying passport, found and cold store... WHAT! I handed the phone off to my Vice Principal to see if she could speak to him in Arabic, she handed the phone off to our supply guy because I guess he was speaking Indian (I can't tell the difference).  Through a couple minutes of translation, what I thought I heard was revealed to be true! The trash company had sorted through all the trash and had found my passport cover with EVERYTHING still inside, including my money! (This is one thing that would NEVER EVER EVER happen in America, thank yo Bahrain). The trash company then brought my passport back to the cold store at the beach. The security officer there found the receipt for our car rental, called the rental company, asked for my number and then he called to tell me the good news.  I was so happy I ran around to all the girls' rooms that went swimming and told them it was found. I even interrupted their classes, which I normally hate doing. I was beaming with happiness, I was jumping and dancing and I almost hugged our supply guy when he told me the news.

After school, I drove back out to the beach and picked up my passport and holder :) Along the way, the day simply become better. There were clouds in the sky (this doesn't happen here) and the sun was setting as I drove. It was so beautiful seeing the big, bright orange sun peek through the skyline and reflect off the millions of windows on the buildings. Then, with the palm trees along the road... I just couldn't grasp that this is my life now. This where I live. It was so incredibly beautiful. Once at the beach, I stood gazing out to the ocean, with the sky embracing the orange and pink, the date trees slightly moving with the breeze and the water gently flowing; I felt like I was looking into a picture and then I felt like I become a part of that picture. It that very moment, all the pieces of my life seemed to fit in just to right spot, the world seemed a little brighter and I was in a blissful moment of happiness. After soaking it all in for what seemed like enough time,I walked back to the car and drove away, blaring the music, rolling with the windows down, the breeze through my hair and stuck in a moment of pure enjoyment. It was a wonderful day. 

Beach Time!

Hello!

So for the past couple weekends, I have been lucky enough to find myself at the beach on Friday :) How about that! Going to the beach in October, the end of the month even.  Two weeks ago, I went with a group of teachers and it was the first time I have swam at a beach, in salt water, since my freshman year of college. We went to one of the public beaches called Al Jazayir, and although it is only a 20-25 minute drive, we cover two-thirds of the island. That is so amazing to me! Typically I stay in a little bubble in Juffair and Adliya (a neighborhood close by) so when I actually have to drive for a bit it is fun! Also, knowing that if I were to drive for 15 more minutes and I would be at the end of the island, it truly reminds me how small Bahrain is! 

Below you can see where the beach is on the map. Just look towards the little hump on the bottom half on the left side :)

As for the beach, it was a perfect day. It was in the high 80s to low 90s and there was a slight breeze. We left around 1030am and came home around 1pm. This was perfect to me because it was enough time to soak in the rays and swim yet, I didn't lose my whole day.  

To me, the weirdest thing was swimming in salt water. I would forget there was salt in the water every time I dipped my head under; it made me laugh. One of the best things, I can float in salt water! I have never been able to float before but I can here. It is so relaxing because you can just lay back put your hands behind your head and relax, all while in the water. What I would do to have a water-proof book in that moment! Overall, the beaches are nice. There are about seven gazebos scattered along the beach so there are places you can find shade.  The water is extremely clear too! Another adjustment to be made from the murky lake water I am accustomed to swimming in. There weren't too many fish while I was swimming.  The fish I did see were no bigger than my hand and had a tan color with some brown. They blended in so well with the sand sometimes I wouldn't even see them. One interesting thing was how some of the fish would jump out of the water! I don't know why they would jump but they would jump out two to six times in a row, almost like a skidding rock. It was very nest to watch, especially when it was while everyone was swimming.  One of the other teachers also found a crab shell in the sand. He picked it up and, being the Biology teacher I am, I held it and looked at it... and then kept the shell. It is just so hard to grasp the fact that I am on an island surrounded by salt water with marine and animal life that I am simply not used to.  The crab had blue legs/claws and the body was red; it was simply fascinating.

The second time I went out to the beach, we organized a ladies day with seven other teachers. All met up around 11am and drove out to the beach with the car full of food and drinks. It was a really great time and definitely provided some memories. Just picture a bunch of ladies sitting around a grill that is propped up by rocks (because the stand is broken) trying to figure out how to light a grill... yup that was the beach day!  It took us forever to start the charcoal and then, I don't think we had enough so the food took almost an hour to cook when it should have taken 20 minutes. The grill was hot so we knew the charcoal had not burned out... but, something was wrong, we just didn't know what.  That's what happens when none of us have grilled on our own though! This time at the beach was a little more relaxing. I laid out in the sun and read Life of Pi, then I saw some and then I sat in a beach lounge chair and just watched the water and there was a breeze, it was so perfect and relaxing.  I couldn't think of a better way to de-stress from the week than a day like that. I stood in the water for almost 45 minutes and just concentrated on the current and the movement of the water, the sun beating down on me and breeze blowing through my hair... it was so incredibly spiritual and peaceful, I have never had a moment like that and I hope that there are many more to come. 

The Dragon Brunch

Last weekend, we went to the infamous brunch that everyone from last year always talked about.   We drove out to the Armwaj Islands and found ourselves at The Dragon hotel.  It was 25BD to get in but, it is a buffet that is all you can eat food for almost five hours and unlimited drinks for about six hours... I would say it is definitely worth every cent.  I can't even begin to explain how beautiful it was at the hotel. The entire group wore dressy outfits and suits just to put a little more class on the event. When we arrived at the hotel, we waited outside where there were cabanas and an outside bar, a view of the ocean, three pools; it was simply one of the most beautiful moments I have had in Bahrain. You forget that you are in a desert and growing city and you escape for a little bit to a tropical island almost!

Here is a view of one of the pools and the ocean.  All the students tell me to go to Armwaj Islands because they are so beautiful... now I know they are telling the truth!  This part of Bahrain was also on House Hunters International if you watch that show ;)

One of the cabanas and Me with David and Ben

Miss Leigh and Mr. Thran

Here are the two tables where our group sat. It was very nice to go out with all the teachers and enjoy our first weekend after school started!

Now, on to the amazing part! The food! Below are some of the set ups of the food that was available. The buffet is completely unlimited for four hours!!! All the food tasted amazing and I honestly could not stop eating... it was almost painful.  

Cold food room set up

These are some of the cold options they had to offer. There were also hot options, a whole salad mixing table, a pasta station, a bread table, soups, sushi, desserts, bar and a menu you could order from. You pretty much ate anything you wanted and it was covered in the initial cost.

More food

Bread table 

Sushi that was made fresh! They would even cut off pieces of fish right in front of you... yes I did try it. I liked it but it took some getting used to the texture of eating raw fish. This was probably my favorite part of what The Dragon Brunch had to offer.

Unless, you count dessert as foods! There was a whole table of all sorts of dessert from cakes, to ones they made for you to chocolate mousse and cheesecake. One amazing feat... they actually had a chocolate cake that I liked! I went back for a second piece!

Me and Deena

Me and my roommate Tricia! She is amazing and we have so much fun :)

Me and Jared

Overall, the "Brunch Experience" is definitely one that I will repeat again. I have heard that there are a ton of other options as for where to go to brunch and some of the girls form last year said that The Dragon's brunch doesn't even compare to some of the other options. I can't wait to see if what they say is true because this experience was amazing and I was very impressed!
Until next time <3

School room!

Here ar the pictures from my classroom!  it is a small space but it is becoming home and I love it so much.  I have a big window and wood floors which most classes have tile and smaller windows.  It suits me very well!  My room actually used to be the Middle School principal's office.  It's only about 14 by 16 feet but I make it work!  

 Students normally call you by your first name here and Leigh is short and sweet!

First day of school!

Hello everyone!
The last five years of my life I have taken classes and studied and wrote papers about what it means to be a teacher. I have learned different teaching techniques and I have taught and observed countless hours in six different schools and four different districts.  Today, all of that can to a head.  I officially became a teacher today.  I had my first day at school.
I was so incredibly nervous this morning.  If off, I am a first year teacher. Secondly, I am in a completely different country that I barely know anything about, I have never taught block scheduling before (NINTY MINUTE CLASSES!!!), and I have never taught ELL students.  So many things that could make a first day horrible because so much is unknown, yet it turned out to be amazing.
My first classes every day are small.  Thirteen students maximum.  It was very nice to start out like this.   I was a little worried because at 2 minutes until the bell, I only had three students in my classroom.  I ended up having eight today with the ninth showing up with ten minutes left in class (apparently some students will not come the first week or two because they are still taking trips with their parents. It's crazy).  I went over the syllabus and had them fill out information cards... pretty much all those first day activities and the students war amazing.  They were friendly, they laughed at me when I tried to say their names (the accent sits at the very back of your tongue so the names are SUPER difficult to say correctly). But, at the same time it showed my students that I can be fun and I can laugh with them.  I think I will have a few girls who will like me.  They seemed so happy to be in my class by the end.
I really could not be happier with the way today turned out.  It was more than I could have hoped for.

I will try and upload pictures of my classroom tomorrow... I don't have the best internet connection right now.  Until next time!

Souq

These are the pictures form when we visited the souq!  I didn't take too many pictures because it was absolutely insane.  You can find anything there!  There is tons of fabric, you can have jewelry and suits and pretty much anything hand-made for you.  I tried some Indian candy that was warm and orange... it tasted sweet like honey yet, had a sweet and sour sauce flavoring to it!  We were in the souq for about an hour and every single one of us was dripping with sweat.  There are so many people in such small areas and the cars drive right on through!  Close enough that three inches more to one side or the other and they would be running over your toes.  Nothing stops the drivers in Bahrain.  I plan to go back to the souq many times.  It is rich with culture and has tons of things to buy!  I was also amazed by the spices!  They were in mountains and I want to try each on its own! Ah! so excited to return.

 This is the entrance into the souq... definitely not the crazy part of it. I did not take a good picture of the life of the souq but hopefully I will remember to next time.  While I was in the crazy part, every time you look into a store or glance towards a seller they are pushing items towards your face or inviting you in.  It's truly an experience that cannot be fully explained.

 This is a common store in the souq which makes abayas.  I took a picture of it because of the five point crown.  I love my ZTA!!!

Here is a better depiction of what the souq is sort of like.  The majority of it does have covers over the street so this is still more open than the souq normally is.  

The King's Camels

After the the grand mosque we went to the King's camels and farm land.  He owns a ton of land with lots of date trees on it and I guess he receives camels as gifts.  He has over 600 camels!  You would think people could be a little more original ;)  Here are some pictures of the camels and how they live.  The males are chained up individually and the females are in the pens.  I didn't touch one but one came really close to my face and freaked me out because I was looking at another camel through my camera ha ha. 

 Boy camels are below :)

 A camel getting up.  They push their hind legs up first and then straighten up their front legs.  It looks like they are about to go head first into the ground!

 This camel looks like he has freckles :)

 A picture with the camel!!!  I was so excited!

 Baby feeding from mother

 Old Grandma camel!!!!

The Grand Mosque

On the first day in Bahrain we went to the Grand Mosque.  The mosque is only a ten minute walk from my apartment and is one of the most beautiful building I have ever seen in my life.  We were given a tour by one of the women who works there and she did an absolutely amazing job.  She explained to us all of the architecture and little things about the religion.  For instance, in the mosque there are no pictures of animals or people.  Many individuals have requested that a statue of the prophet Muhammed be placed in the mosque but it will never happen.  The reason for this is that Muslims see it as a sin to pray to anyone but Allah. Allah is the creator and the giver so to pray to the prophet, even though he started the religion is an unforgivable sin unless you ask fro forgiveness before death.  They say the Muhammed is simply a prophet, who they believe to be the LAST prophet.  They believe in other prophets too, such as Abraham and Moses and Jesus Christ, all are mentioned in the Kor'an.  They believe that these were just men, they were human like us whom Allah used to teach the way one should live.  Muslims are also very open to other religions believing that Allah sent prophets all over the world who shared his word and that the slight differences between religions actually came from the different interpretations, human error.  It is a fascinating religion to learn about especially with all of the negative stigma we have in the States.  

This building is also one of the most spiritual places I have ever been.  I will probably go pray in the mosque a few times while I am here since anyone, not just those of the Islamic faith, are welcome.

 Here is the outside os the Grand Mosque.  There are beautiful details every where, you don't even have to look close.

 Here is a closer picture of some of the details from the outside.

 ME in front of the mosque.  I was super colorful this day!

 When you enter into the mosque, as a woman you must wear a hijab (head covering) and an abaya (the long dresses)  This is simply out of respect and so there are no distractions.  Muslims do not stand around and talk or socialize in the mosque, they simply come to pray.

 One interesting feature of this mosque is that there is an outside courtyard that can be used for praying. It is just as beautiful as the inside. The floor gets really hot during the day though! I walked over it and I burned my feet!

 This is the inside prayer room.  The carpet in here is from Scotland and the bulbs are from France. Pretty much everything from inside the mosque comes from all over the world.  I think it is interesting that they take pride in this because it makes Islam see so world-wide.  The carpet is actually also has geometric shapes on it that correlate with all the rest of the designs in the mosque.

A look down the side of the prayer room.  The things in the middle are little desks that they can place anywhere in the mosque for a lesson.

 Along with the geometric shapes, Islamic artists will do calligraphy. All of the calligraphy along the top are arabic inscriptions from the Kor'an.

 Some of the men in our group in a thob (can't wear shorts!) listening to a brief lesson about the Kor-an by our tour guide.  She truly explained this religion so well and made it seem so beautiful... nothing like I have read or heard about before.

A window :)

Another shot of the glass bulbs and the doors 

This clock chart displays the different praying intervals.  At each of these times, the call to prayer in made from the mosque.  Each time the call starts by saying "Allah is greatest"or something along those lines. It's to remind everyone that Allah comes first in life.  Muslims also do not have to drop down and pray right then and there when the call is heard... they just have to pray between the times in order for their religious duties to be fulfilled. All the prayers normally only equate to about 30-40 minutes per day.

View looking up into the dome.  At the time the dome was built, it was the largest fiberglass dome ever made.

A page of the Kor'an.  Interesting fact: Mary in mentioned in the Kor'an.  They believe that she was a virgin who gave birth to Jesus and the section about her is the 19th chapter in the Kor'an.  This is considered the heart of the Kor'an.  They believe it shows that Allah can create using any thing.  He can create human with man and woman (as usual).  He can create human from no man and no woman (Adam).  He can create human with just man (Eve) and lastly, he can create human from only woman (Jesus).   

The doors are absolutely beautiful and intricate. 

Window 

 Outside prayer space.  

Looking down from the balcony.  The carpet has lines all the way across it.  It is better to pray in groups in the Islamic faith.  Individuals are supposed to stand with feet and shoulders touching, it makes the prayer stronger.  the men are normally in the front and women stand in the back.  They do not see this as a women are lesser but as a comfort thing.  When Muslims pray, they bend over and kneel and stand... the when say they don't want a man's face right by their behind so they stand together. 

 The outside courtyard.

This is from the outside courtyard as well.  Before microphones were invented the prayer leader (which can be anyone, even children) would stand in front of the concave and speak towards it, this projects their voice very well.  There is also one inside prayer room.

 Me in my outfit :)  I was the only one in an orange hijab (I think it's because of my red hair)

Me and my roommate Tricia 

 The concave in the prayer room.  The man next to it was actually doing the call to prayer.  It was very beautiful to listen to.

Me in the center of the prayer room

Me and one of the other teachers Laura.