Ahhhhhhhhh Eid!

This mural located close to my daughter's home in Bucharest

Travelling is one of the best things about teaching overseas.  This is the first school break of the year and I am so fortunate to be able to travel to Bucharest, Romania to visit my wonderful, hard working daughter.
I flew out of Kuwait International Airport promptly at 2:20 a.m. on Saturday morning.  After a five hour flight to Istanbul, a one hour layover and a two hour flight to Bucharest I was greeted by a driver carrying a sign stating my daughter's company name and a brisk ride in a fancy car to her apartment on Strada Nisipari.  After a warm hug and quick catch up conversation over breakfast we began a day of togetherness!

My daughter's home sweet home

She took me on a tour of her beautiful apartment then we were off to a mall for some shopping and lunch. I decided to take a nap in the afternoon and ended up sleeping for more than twelve hours.  I cannot blame jet lag because I did even change time zones.  Perhaps it was the very little sleep on the planes or maybe the fresh air of Romania which kept me asleep for so long.
By this morning we were out and about, went for a ride on the Metro, visited a souvenir shop, enjoyed lunch out (yes, again!) and then hit an outdoor market with one of my daughter's colleagues from work. We enjoyed a hot mulled red wine and then rode the metro back to the apartment before she returned downtown for an afternoon of work.

A few shots of downtown 

Beautiful architecture

A pause for lunch at the Trattoria Buongiorno- and Italian eatery

The Tupperware mascot was cheering roadside for the road runners

Just one of many parks in the downtown area

The roses are beautiful here

One of the many finds at the market

A giraffe greets visitors to the Museum of Nature

A warm memorial and cemetery in the downtown area

Once I got my bearings, thanks to written instructions and a map, I went to the Market and shopped for tonight's dinner. For the first time in awhile we are going to enjoy a steak dinner!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

An ADVENTURE!

Connection to home- usually just a click away!

"Today was an adventurous day.  If the purpose of an adventure is to build confidence then I am feeling so quite confident this evening.  Two things that worry me when living in a foreign country are:
1. Walking from place to place by myself, especially if I am not exactly sure where I am heading.
2. Riding in a taxi from place to place by myself, especially if I am not exactly sure where I am going.
Today was the day for me to forget about my worries and be happy!
The day started at 6 a.m. It was Saturday morning, a full 24 hours before school would begin for another week.  I worked on lesson plans, walked to school and organized the classroom a little more. At 2:00 I decided that enough was enough and that I needed to go to the gym (my new past time) for a workout and a swim. Arriving at the gym by 2:30 I proceeded to walk my laps, spin the stationary bicycle and follow the strength program that was set for me.
By 4:00 I hit the pool for a relaxing swim and then a hot sauna and then decided to walk home from the gym for the very first time. It was a very active day and I arrived home tired but happy.
So that is when I discovered that the internet was not working.  I began to panic...who will I check my email? How will I Skype my family? I phoned the internet company and was told that I would have to go out to a storefront where it might be able to be fixed.
I had a decision to make. Do I wait until tomorrow, not know what a Sunday at work was going to bring, or do I get dressed and head back outside in to the heat and traffic? Without hesitation I decided that I really wanted the internet fixed and since I am alone here I was the one who had to do it.
So I hailed a taxi and proceeded to make my way to the Sharifa al Mulla complex on Khaldoun Street which I had no idea where it was.  Turns out because I mispronounced the name of the complex and the street the taxi driver initially had no idea either.  Eventually he figured it out and we were off.
I was dropped off at one building and went to three others before one kind soul helped me find the centre where the modem might be able to be fixed.
I arrived and was surprised by the number of people waiting for service.  The gentleman behind the counter asked me if I had been having problems with my internet and I replied, "Yes."  He then asked if it was since yesterday and I remembered, "Yes. The problem started yesterday."  He told me to sit down and it would take about 15 minutes before he could help.
Little did I know that all of the people there were having the same difficulty with their Internet.  Over the course of about 90 minutes, no less than 30 people came in and out of the shop. Almost all were carrying their modem.  Many were told, in Arabic, to come back "bocra" which means tomorrow.
I did a quick analysis of the situation and realized that I could not come back bocra because I had to work.  Besides I still had not spoken to my husband all day. The man behind the counter was obviously distraught.  He was sweating and kept holding his forehead like he had a bad headache.  I asked if he was okay and that it must have been a very long day.  He replied that the day seemed like a week.
Finally there was only one other person in the store.  The man behind the counter asked me if I could come back tomorrow (which is today or Sunday).  I said no, that I wanted to be back online immediately and that if he could not fix it then I would appreciate a new modem...."

Not exactly alone, Coral and Jade are here with me
and do enjoy my chair when I am out of the apartment!

The above blog was started about one week ago.  It is all true and it ended up that the man behind the counter was a real hero.  Instead of giving up on my broken modem, he persisted and made everything better.

I joyfully took a taxi back to the apartment (by this time it was almost 10 p.m.) feeling confident that I could manage some things on my own.

So what does this have to do with an ADVENTURE?  And what is it with the monkeys?

The rest of the story is that in India we had a friend who was always up for an adventure, whether it be a trip to a downtown brewery or a taking a course in bar tending.  We would all three (my husband, me and our friend Jon) would hop into a tuk-tuk and make our way to some uncertain destination.  The great thing about this was that Jon usually brought adventure snacks.  Precious memories of our time in Bangalore!

Mode of transportation in Bangalore!
Heading out on an adventure in the fall of 2012

And the monkeys?  Coral and Jade represent the two stones that are symbolic of 35 years of marriage. They were given to my husband and me by my wonderful sister-in-law this past summer.  They have accompanied me to Kuwait and we three are anxiously waiting the reunion with my husband and dog in early November.

In the meantime, the Eid break is here and my daughter and husband have arranged a return flight for me to travel to Romania to spend some time. I will be leaving the apartment in about 24 hours. Hopefully I will be able to venture out tomorrow to find something Kuwaiti for my hard working daughter.  Can't wait!

Wishing you many adventures!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

Saturday Blues

The view from the apartment window

Same window, different view. 

"Today was a day that I did not have to get up.  I had planned to stay home and to try get over a cold, which arrived early last week. This is my day to sleep in!  This was not to be...the call to prayer started at 4:30 a.m. and the construction across the street began at 6 a.m.

As I lay in bed I thought to myself how very fortunate I am to be living in one of the safest countries in the world, working at my chosen profession and meeting new people every day...."

This was the start of a blog post from two or three weeks ago. The title indicates that I was having a hard time of it during my first couple of weeks here.  I was sick, tired, feeling lonely and a little bit sorry for myself.

But somewhere between the title and the second paragraph I was able to switch gears and be thankful for my good fortune. Today as I gazed through unfinished posts I learned a little something about myself.  I am essentially an optimist as I try to see the good in everything, everyone and every situation.

Shortly after writing the opening of this blog I made a decision to keep swimming.  After a summer on the lake and swimming almost every day, my body was aching for some exercise. I mentioned this to a colleague at work and she suggested that I join the local women's gym.  I wanted to shop around before making a decision and I was glad I had waited.

The pool is at least 25 long and almost as wide. It turns out that very few people are actually in the area where lengths are swum.  My first experience in that pool was almost surreal. The water did not smell like chlorine, nor was there a funny taste. There was actually a pleasant odor from the massage room down the hall.  There are two hot tubs, a steam room, a sauna and a juice bar.  Towels and lockers are included with a membership.

Thinking I would swim only I soon realized that there was more to the club than the pool.  Everyone is weighed and measured and then put on a program according to their body type.  My current roundness qualifies me for the "apple" category and my program includes stationary cycling, walking on the indoor track followed by two sets of high repeat, low weight training activities. For me it is a good place to start.  Four or five times a week has put me in a more positive frame of mind so no more Saturday blues.

It's official - membership does have its advantages!

Until next time,


Bee Rich

Living in the Middle East, Again!

Hey!  I am going through my list of blogs that I have not completed.  Each one reminds me of a moment where I thought of something great to write, but then lost steam and abandoned the ideas. Sometimes I had only a title written.  At other times the first sentence points to what I was thinking. This particular blog post was started in a moment of "gasp- here I am in the Middle East again!"

After two years in Egypt (September 2008-June 2010) we thought we would never return to the warm, sandy, dry and always interesting area of the world. However, we were wrong. When teaching intermediate geography I was always curious about emigration and immigration and the factors that cause people to move.

Of course everyone's circumstances are different, but it boils down to two concepts- Push Factors and Pull Factors.  That is, what pushes us away from our present place and/or what pulls us to an new place in the world.

For me the push factors and the pull factors were one and the same.  Work!  I love teaching.  After a change in school boards in Ontario, there were no teaching jobs for me in Ontario.  I applied for work in other provinces, but again, not successfully. I finally I realized that if I wanted to work I would have to relocate.  There were teaching jobs abroad.  So there you have it, simply stated I am doing it for the satisfaction of having an enjoyable job.

My 42 kids on Day One

Self Portraits- 2B

Self Portraits- 2A

2A - Silliness on Free Dress Day

2B - How cute are they?

And yes!  I am enjoying the lifestyle in this warm place.  As the weeks turn in to months I have been assured that the daily 45 C temperatures will moderate and the winter will be quite pleasant; some say even cool!  I am looking forward to that.  And school is over in mid-June so I will have the opportunity to return home in time for my favourite Canadian season, summer,

In the meantime I will keep you up to date on the latest developments in the Middle East.

Until next time,


Bee Rich

Blog Number 3 from Kuwait!

It is the Eid break, a time that I have looked forward to for the past five weeks.  One month ago today I arrived in Kuwait and have so far survived the heat, humidity, dust, uneven sidewalks and regular call to prayer at 4:00 a.m.

In case you didn't read my first post from Kuwait, I will revisit my adventure...

On August 21 my husband and I flew to Vancouver, B.C. to begin an Alaskan cruise that truly was a trip of a lifetime.  I am still marveling at the photos taken while aboard the ship, Radiance of the Seas, the trains and the buses while touring the biggest state in the USA.  One of the highlights for me was a visit with my American cousin and his wife, who live in Ketchikan, Alaska. We had a wonderful day visiting with them touring the area and seeing where they have been living for over ten years.  I will never forget their kindness and hospitality.

My cousin and his wife

We traveled the inside channel from Ketchikan to Seward on the cruise ship, enjoying the all the amenities of our first ever big ship cruise plus the stops along the way.  It was enjoyable and very relaxing.  Upon our arrival in Seward we boarded a bus to Anchorage where we checked in to a hotel before I took off on another adventure- a teaching job in Kuwait. After 8 flights (Anchorage-Seattle-Chicago-Philadelphia-Ottawa and then Ottawa-Toronto-Istanbul-Kuwait) I arrived at 2 am on September 2, just in time to grab a few hours of sleep before teaching grade 2 children on their first day of school.

Kuwait- small green country just east of Iraq and north of Saudi Arabia

Thanks to a friend from teaching days in Egypt I enjoyed a nice packed lunch, an Internet connection after school and delivered food.  Em lives in the building next door and has been an inspiration and support person as I made the transition back into teaching.  Our weekly jaunts to the Avenues, an amazing mall here in Kuwait, have been an enjoyable way to spend Friday mornings.

Em and me at Tim Horton's

The Grand Avenues where the ceiling changes colour, right before your very eyes!

School is just like any other school.  The children are precious, smart and resilient.  There are eight sections of each grade level and I am part of a lovely team of teachers.  Each morning at 7:15 the children line up for the "morning routine" which involves greeting the deputy deputy principal in Arabic, reciting part of the Quran, singing the national anthem, raising the flag, greeting the principal in English and listening to announcements.  There is a band (drums and accordions) that accompanies the ceremony and the Boy Scouts march in and lead the entire grade 1-3 section (24 classes X 21 students) in cheers in celebration of Kuwait, the emir and the Arabian countries.

Morning routine at the school- Free Dress Day

Following morning routine the children walk in straight lines to their classrooms for the first of eight 40 minute classes a day. It is a rigorous and very busy schedule with the children taking classes in English, Science, Mathematics, Art (all in English) and PE, Music, Civics, Arabic and Religion) in Arabic.

By the end of the day students are teachers are happy to make their way home for a little rest, relaxation and sustenance before it all starts again the next day.

I must say that I am enjoying being in a classroom.  At first I was a little overwhelmed but by the second or third week I began to feel normal again and look forward to each new day.

So time is going quickly.  I look forward to the next nine days of a little bit of school work, a trip to Romania to visit my daughter and several workouts at the gym and pool.

All in all, life is good!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Two weeks ago today I wrote my first blog post from Kuwait and the time has certainly gone by quickly! I am pleased to say that all is well and I am now into an enjoyable daily routine. A typical day looks like this:

• 4:30 am- Up and going, pack lunch, make breakfast, drink coffee
• 5:30 am- Often walk to work, which takes 20-30 minutes
• 6:30 am- When walking is not possible, due to snoozing, ride the bus just 10 minutes to work
• 6:45 am- (or 6:00 am on walking days)- Sign in, check the schedule (as it changes daily!), and prepare for the day 
• 7:00 am- Head outside for duty or to meet the children
• 7:15 am- "Morning Routine" which includes prayers, singing the anthem, flag raising and listening to announcements, all while keeping 21 children in a straight line
• 7:30 am- Proceed to homeroom where 21 children then prepare for their day of 8 classes and two 20 minute recess breaks
• 7:40-8:20 am- Period 1 class
• 8:25-9:05 am- Period 2 class
• 9:10-9:30 am- Lunch and recess
• 9:35-10:15 am- Period 3 class
• 10:20-11:00 am- Period 4 class
• 11:05-11:45 am- Period 5 class
• 11:50-12:10- Snack and recess
• 12:15-12:55 pm- Period 6 class
• 1:00-1:40 pm- Period 7 class
• 1:45-2:25 pm- Period 8 class
• 2:30 pm- Dismissal
• 3:00 pm- Extra activities at school and/or a visit to the local Champions gym for a workout and swim. 

Although the timetable looks pretty straight forward it is very busy and keeps everyone on their toes. Some teachers move from room to room and children always seem to be on the move. I am fortunate to have all of my classes in one location. Like I stated before, no two days are the same, so some of the children carry their timetables on a little card around their neck!

I am truly enjoying teaching again.  The students are sweet, my co-workers are amazing and even our Back to School Night this past week was enjoyable. It has taken a little longer to settle in this year, mainly because I arrived later than most teachers, but I now believe that everything is going to be just fine.

A couple of different expectations at the school surprised me, but I understand why they have been implemented.  The first is that every teacher must "volunteer" for a minimum of 20 hours per year. Attending extracurricular activities, coaching and providing activities for the children are all counted.

The second is that all teachers are required to earn 50 points towards professional development per school year. Attending conferences, publishing articles, reading books and articles or watching peers teach are just some of the options.

The culture here is also very interesting.  Only about one-third of the population are Kuwaiti citizens. The rest of the people here are from all over the world, working in various service industries. I have met people from Egypt, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan, Palestine, to name only a few.  The Kuwaiti people dress either in fancy western clothes or in the traditional Kuwaiti clothing. At school the children usually wear their uniforms, but yesterday was a "free dress" day, and I enjoyed seeing the various outfits!

I am looking forward to National Dress Day in late February when everyone dresses in traditional Kuwaiti clothing.

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Sometimes the woman's face is completely covered,
except for her eyes.

Blogging from Kuwait

     It has been almost three months since my last post.  It has been three very interesting months of job searching, course taking, Alaskan cruising and travelling!  And now I find myself gainfully employed once again teaching at an international school. 

     This blog will highlight some of the events leading up to my decision to return to teaching for the next two years.
     In May 2014 I left a job I loved which was relatively close to home. That particular situation just did not work for me, so I  immediately began the search for new employment. Like most unemployed people of a certain age, it is quite difficult to find professional work in Ontario, especially as a teacher.  I applied for several locally advertised positions from the paper, but to no avail. I decided that I really wanted to stay in Canada.

A fine place to shop and people watch- The Avenues, Kuwait City

     A friend of mine from Egypt days was teaching in north west British Columbia on a First Nations reserve.  She sounded so optimistic that I thought, "Hey why not?" and applied for several positions.  In the meantime I thought I would take an additional qualification course called Teaching First Nations, Metis and Inuit Children.  Although quite interesting and really relevant to teaching Aboriginal children in Ontario. Despite being interviewed by one school, I was not hired. By this time I was getting pretty discouraged and my husband suggested applying for overseas teaching.
     This is where my story digresses.  Everything always works out for the best because in the meantime, my husband and I were planning a celebration of our 35 years of marriage.  On July 12 we hosted approximately 50 people, family and friends for a delicious dinner. It was but one of the highlights of this past summer!

     The challenge of overseas teaching, I found out, is that school usually starts in early to mid-August. The latest that most schools start their year is in early September.  My biggest obstacle to getting hired was that we had planned an anniversary Alaskan cruise between August 22-29, compliments of our daughter.  I could not cancel that trip so I had to preface every application with, "I would like to teach at your school; however, I am not available until September 2."  That did not go over very well with most Directors.
      Fortunately, there were three schools who were open to entertaining the idea of a tardy teacher. Two were in Kuwait and one was in Taiwan.
      One day in August I read a Facebook message from a friend who teaches in Kuwait.  The school was looking for an elementary English teacher. The Director was in Canada for a holiday and looking for new staff.  I was advised to send my resume and less than a week later I was offered a position, despite my anticipated late arrival. The school paid for my flight from Anchorage, Alaska (the final Alaskan destination) to Ottawa on August 30 so that I could get home, repack suitcases and leave Ottawa on August 31. After 48 hours of travel and 9 different airports I arrived at midnight on the morning of the first day of school, September 2, which was, by the way, my husband's birthday.
      So here I am, once again in the Middle East. However, this time my husband is back home in Canada until the end of October.
      To say that the past ten days has been a blur is an understatement.  In fact I really don't know where the time has gone.  I have been learning the 42 Arabic names for the children in my classes.  I am getting used to a new culture.  I have spent extra hours at the school preparing my classroom and preparing English, Science and Art lessons.  I am one of four Grade 2 English teachers and each one of us have two classes for which we are responsible.
      And so, another school year begins.  I am thinking there will be at least one more, maybe two. I am very fortunate to have employment at this point in my life, and for that I am so very thankful.

Until next time,


Bee Rich

The Avenues, an amazing mall in Kuwait...

Another section of The Avenues...

Coffee at Tim Hortons...

With one of my favourite people!

Home sweet home away from home