Bee Rich: February 2016

Wow! I cannot believe that I have not written since Christmas. Even though it has been a busy time, reuniting with my husband, traveling back to Kuwait, jumping back in to teaching, tutoring, swimming, and various other activities, there is only one reason that I have allowed the blog to slip away...it just wasn't time yet!

So much has happened I will have to do a point form recall, hoping that the highlights are not forgotten.

Christmas Holiday- quiet and almost uneventful, other than a swim in the lake on Christmas Day with our daughter and a drive to Cambridge to visit our son and grandchildren, as well as Christmas dinner on the 26th with my dear brother. Lots of R and R, a little socializing with friends and neighbours, and then a return flight to Kuwait on January 2 and 3.
We were met and greeted by Lena, who was living with me and looking after the cat while away. More about her later!
Back to School- Week 1- (only four days) was fantastic, with the children still being very tired. I brought my husband in for Show and Share, so that he could meet them.
Back to School- Week 2- (again only four days) was less-than-fantastic; however tolerable with Report Cards being sent home and Parent Teacher Conferences. On the Thursday morning my colleague (who shares my classroom) went in to labour and delivered a baby boy that evening.
Back to School- Week 3- (five days) was challenging, as I took on the responsibility of teaching English, Science, and Art to my aforementioned colleague's class. This was a previously agreed upon "maternity leave" coverage, but not really expected until week five.
Fishing on the Arabian Sea- My husband and I joined a couple of colleagues for an early Friday morning fishing expedition on the Arabian Sea in early-January. Cold weather and waves made the trip a tiny bit uncomfortable, even for the fish. Netted five or six fish, enough for a dinner. A couple of weeks later, my husband went with a couple of fellows. They caught few fish, but had a nice breakfast at a local restaurant, The Early Bird.
The Departure of Lena- I haven't really written much about Lena, a friend from Sri Lanka. Long story short, she came to live with me when her full time job for this year fell through. Through the school, she was able to pick up part time work, including cleaning, cooking and laundry at my apartment. (Yes... I became completely spoiled, and so did the cat!) Originally slated to stay until December, Lena offered to stay on to look after Peekaboo, the cat, during the Christmas holiday. She returned to Sri Lanka on January 23 to spend time with her family, before taking a course to retrain as a personal support worker. I will miss her deeply, and am so glad that my husband is with me for the next few weeks, before his return to Canada. Then it will be just me and the cat until April.
Dubai in a Day- my husband has to leave the country (Kuwait) once a month so that he can renew his visitor's visa. Last year the visa was for three months, but the summer time events caused a change in this policy. We opted to take my one earned lieu day on February 2 to travel to Dubai, a fabulous city in the United Arabic Emirates. I will try to add some pictures and a video of some of the sights seen on that totally relaxing day.
Then today, my friend Emily hosted a "Valentine's Tea" at her place. It turned out to be a lovely birthday surprise party with Em and Lindsay (dear dear friends from our Egypt days who are also teaching here in Kuwait) and several new friends from their school. Not only was I surprised but the "family" figured out a beautiful numeric relationship between my age and those of the Parkinson's- I am twice Lindsay's age, 20 times their first daughter's age and 60 times their second daughter's age. Go figure! A special thanks to Emily, who just happens to be the BEST surprise party thrower I have ever met. Thank you so much, Emily!
Looking Forward- lots to look forward to, and probably material for several future blog posts- my (planned) Sweet 60th Birthday Celebration on February 13, the 100th Day of School celebrations in in Grade 1 on February 18, a trip to Oman to visit Justine, a friend from India days- including desert camping, on the weekend of February 24-28, and then my husband's return to Canada on March 2.

Such is the life of an ex-pat living in the Middle East. The sun rises and sets, Good days always follow bad days. As a reminder of this, Emily also gave me a beautiful bracelet for Christmas. Pictured below, it shows beads containing samples of soil from the depths of the Dead Sea and the heights of Mount Everest, which symbolize the lows of despair and the highs of success. Along with the bracelet came a beautiful card explaining that it is important to remain hopeful during the desperate days and humble throughout the successful seasons of life. A precious reminder for all.