Back To School in the UAE

     Today was the Bedaya Forum 2012 at the exhibition hall here in Abu Dhabi.  We were bussed over bright and early this morning.  Of course everyone was wearing their new school clothes and we all seemed excited to finally be starting this new school year.  The exhibition hall was huge and reminded me of a back to school day when I first began teaching in Ft. Worth, Texas.  There were literally thousands of teachers from all over the world.
     The first thing I realized was that a new tote bag full of goodies is a back to school tradition no matter where you are.  That small white canvas bag was a little bit of normalcy in this new place.  We had about an hour to have juice, coffee, and danishes.  There were lots of booths set up throughout the hall.  We were able to pick up info from hospitals, public health, and even the police department.  The best part of the morning was having my picture taken with a falcon!
     About 11 a.m. we all headed into the massive coliseum for a speech by Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Education Council.  He gave a lovely presentation outlining the New School Model and the goals for education in the UAE.  It was all very inspirational and given totally in Arabic.  Those of us who do not speak Arabic were given translation headsets to wear which made me feel like I was in a movie of some kind!
     Following the presentation, we were served a delicious lunch with a wide variety of ethnic foods to choose from.  I tried several new dishes and loved them all.  My caesar salad even included anchovies.  I have found that chocolate is delicious no matter where you are!  We finished up and headed back to the hotel by 2:00.
     Tomorrow is my first day on my campus and I am so excited and just a little nervous.  I am meeting 3 veteran teachers at their apt and riding out with them so hopefully I will learn some things on the way.  I will post again soon with specifics on my teaching assignment!