Bee Rich

Saturday, 12 March 2016

Old School Teacher

You may be wondering about the title of this post. It has multiple meanings, meaning I am and old teacher and I am an "old school" teacher. Yesterday a colleague referred to me as just that- old school.

A lot has transpired since writing on February 5th. It has been a bit hectic mainly because of the many exciting events: I celebrated my 60th birthday, we hit the 100th Day of School, my husband and I had a successful fishing trip on the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait celebrated its National and Liberation Days, we flew to Oman for a brief holiday, and, finally my husband returned to Canada. As well, there is a Kindness Campaign ongoing at our school and we attended our very first Princess Birthday Party for one of our favourite little girls.

So below you will find details of each of these events...

The best secret keepers, ever!

SURPRISE PARTY

A full week before my 60th birthday, my friend Emily hosted a "Valentine's Day Tea" for our Kuwait family. I thought it a little strange when my husband told me about it, because Emily had not mentioned it to me during our trip to Avenues and Tim Horton's. However, wearing my Valentine dress along with my favourite red scarf, I patiently waited while our mutual friend, Steve, was late picking us up in a cab. When we arrived at Emily's, all of my silent questions were answered with a big "SURPRISE" and the faces of many loving Kuwait family and friends. I was indeed humbled by the Wonder Woman themed party and decorations, the delicious snacks, the beautiful cupcakes, and the fabulous fun! Thank you to Emily and Lindsay, Phil, Nory and Jet, Steve, Cathy and Shahid, Alex, Mary, Courtney, and all the others who attended. A special thank you to my husband for keeping the secret so well!

PRINCESS PARTY
Later that same week, we went out to the same area to celebrate the third birthday of a little princess. Nory is the first born child of great friends, Lindsay and Phil (see The Pearl Curriculum), who just happens to love princesses. Certainly a happy event!

Beautiful decorations made this a superb event.

And who can resist a cupcake!

This will make little girls everywhere just a little envious!

BIRTHDAY DAY

On Saturday February 13, we invited several friends over for "tea" and snacks, chocolate cake and Pinkberry to celebrate my real 60th Birthday. Wow- that is a BIG number. It was great to get together with friends from our school. My husband did an amazing job preparing, serving and cleaning up afterwards!

A gift from a student

A beautiful carrot cake from Grade 1 co-workers

Decorations from Emily and Lindsay- a Wonder Woman theme!

So where did that time go?

Cutting the cake is always a SCREAM!

HUNDREDTH DAY OF SCHOOL
Did you know that in Grade 1 the one hundredth day of school is often celebrated with dressing up, special activities, and special foods? I didn't! But this year was my first celebration, and it was fun!

Making the Hundredth Day of School crowns

Home Decorated T-shirts and completed crowns- the boys from one of the two classes

And the girls, too!

100 Crepe Paper Roses- a gift from a child's nanny

FISHING TRIP
On my husband's final week in Kuwait, we were invited to go fishing on Friday morning, accompanied by Tom and Kate, teaching colleagues. My husband caught several big fish, Tom and Kate each caught a big one, and again, I was shut out. Afterwards, we went to the fish market to have them cleaned, and later enjoyed a delicious fish dinner.

Dawn on the Sea

First catch of the day!

So fortunate to be with my honey, even for a few months!

NATIONAL DAY
On February 24 our school celebrated Kuwait's National Day by wearing traditional Kuwaiti clothes, eating traditional Kuwaiti food (plus a few of the children's favourites- Krispy Kreme donuts, being the most memorable), and Kuwaiti music and dancing in the quad. The children were delighted with their day of celebration and even more so with the anticipated four day holiday.

Our quad, dressed up for the holiday.

A unique flag in the front foyer

In the days leading up to National Day and Liberation Day, three grade one students
read the English translation of the Kuwait National Anthem, while three others waved the colours.

So fortunate to work with this beautiful lady

As well as this one...

And kind Khanti...

Children dressing in traditional and colourful Kuwaiti outfits

One of the precious grade one students and me

OMAN

As it was my husband's final weekend in the Middle East for this school year, we went to Oman to visit Justine, a lovely lady with whom we taught in Bangalore, India. This was my second trip to this warm and welcoming country. Among the activities we walked along the beach, enjoyed coffee by the water, went desert camping, walked the dunes, viewed the sunset and consequent sunrise, and enjoyed the company of friends. It was awesome! Thank you to Justine and her friends and family, for making our trip so memorable!

Our home for one night

Three amazing friends

On the dunes

Morning cooking fire

Baking baladi bread for breakfast

One of our hosts, striking a pose

Post breakfast camel ride!

My new favourite animal!

Souvenirs from Oman- sparking precious memories

KINDNESS CAMPAIGN
Since the beginning of the school year, we have been hearing about the Kindness Campaign, an effort to develop kindness and caring as a way of life for our students and staff members. This campaign included training for "kindness ambassadors", a "kick off "with the distribution of kindness bracelets to each student and staff member, a "High Five" recognition bulletin board, a kindness art contest, and an Instagram account #kindnesscountsatBBS. This unfolding and ever-evolving series of events has been eye-opening, especially at the Grade 1 level.

Many kind kids line up with the kind V-P

Another kind colleague-Alisha

Recognition board, which is now quite full

GRATITUDE
Inspired by my sister-in-law, Penney, I have also started my own personal campaign to be publicly thankful at least once a day for the big and little blessings in my life. This has helped me to stay positive and I am hoping that it will lead to further personal growth and contentment.

Gotta love modern technology

The outside of a new pharmacy on our street

Sunset on just another day in Kuwait

The days are long, the temperatures are rising, teachers in Canada are on their Spring Break, and I am officially living in Kuwait with my furry friend.

Peekaboo...my roommate until further notice

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Friday, 5 February 2016

So, FINALLY, It's Time to Write!

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.