Silver Linings

Long, long ago...Ok, five months ago, I used to search the internet high and low for blogs, Facebook pages, and anything else that would give me the experience of those who took up the expat life and moved overseas, specially to the U.A.E. I would find a few gems but they always seemed to end abruptly. I would wonder, what is keeping these bloggers from writing, from an occasional post or update? I know now. Life here in the U.A.E. just gets hectic and really exhausting when you are teaching or trying to help run a school. Your downtime is monopolized by naps, sitting in silence, or sometimes wine. A lot of times, wine.

Since returning from our Thailand trip, it seems the last month has been a complete blur. One of my counterparts went on maternity so my work load increased, which I have been thankful for. It really aided in me seeing the big picture at my school. My job here is not like my job was back home. Here my actual purpose varies from day to day. I do not have the in-stone job description like I did back in my former position. While the flexibility in this is anticipated, it can also be hard to adapt to day to day since things change here day to day, literally. In my case hour by hour or minute-to-minute. My days are spent finding teachers to cover other teachers classes that did not come into work for whatever reason. Then the next few hours are consumed begging those teachers to puuu-lease go to cover that class since many refuse. It irks me to no end but I get it somedays. It is the same problem as back home; many people come to work day to day no matter what and they are left to pick up the slack that is left by those who may not attend work regularly for whatever reason. Yes, we have legitimate employees who have very valid reasons to be absent, but then we have some that I raise my eyebrow at and then move along, covering their classes anyway. I have never understand people that just tell their supervisors no or what they will and won't do. I have had that conversation several times and it always gets me the 'Lady, you are crazy' look. That conversation starts with, 'First, you are going to stop telling me what you will and won't do'.  If it is in your job description (such as teaching your assigned classes), then lets save the conversation and get it done. At the beginning and end of each day, I feel for the students. This gives zero consistency to teaching, or zero teaching really. My bottom line is teachers attendance directly impacts students achievement. A new concept? Nope. I am also trying to lead and guide some in my building on how to look at the big picture, a foreign notion, when making decisions that impact multiple facets of the school. It is slow moving but I get my glimmers every now and again. I can see that there is some impact from my work and my constant drilling of this but it is taking time, some very sweet time. Enter the girl with no patience whatsoever and you have a hell of a learning experience.

I will say that the vast majority of my teachers have extended open doors and welcome me into their classrooms, ask for my assistance and ideas, and are extremely receptive to my feedback, suggestions and even constructive criticism. I absolutely love being in their classrooms. I guess I really will always be a teacher at heart.

So while I am slap worn out, tired, and mentally exhausted (not from strenuous activity), I am pressing on here in the Middle East looking for my silver linings where ever I can find them. I am thankful to have made a great snarky pal here so we exchange out of your experiences daily via the trusty Whatsapp because honestly, no one back home would believe some of these things. I tell ya that my book one day will be fantastic. Maybe I will begin writing it soon, inshallah.

Expat Journey, V2: Authenticating Docs, Items to Pack & Cell phone needs

As promised, here is the second post of this series "So you wanna teach overseas".  If you miss my timeline of events check that post out because that is always a hot questions as well. I am not an expert but since I have recently lived all this I figured sometimes it is just easy to share to ease the mind of people that are making this journey or even just thinking about it.

So you've been offered a position in Abu Dhabi by way of TeachAway and now you have to gather up your documents and get them authenticated. I waited until I had the offer letter to authenticate because I knew that it was going to be costly. Major props to all those who do most of the authentication on their own. Me, not so much. I was under a major time crunch since I has an ASAP leave time and I was scared to death I would do something wrong.  Here is what I needed to have authenticated:

1. Current teaching certificate (I made a color copy at Kinkos to send)
2. My highest degree (again, a color copy)
3. My marriage certificate (obvi. you won't need this if you're flying solo)

My cost = $520
Yeah you read that correctly. If you only have 2 docs it should be about $370.

If you are a parent traveling with kiddos and/or your divorced there are other papers you have to get authenticated as well (like birth certificates, spouses permission, etc). The lady at ProEx is great, and can walk you through everything. I only had to worry about sending her my papers and she did everything else. I HIGHLY recommend them.

If you want to do the document authentication process on your own (mad props!) take a look at this post by another expat who gives really good directions.

Once you get those docs back DO NOT TAKE THEM APART!!! They will have stamps and ribbon and be bolted together. I am pretty sure I had the ribbon and the bolt thing in my craft room but it was all done. Now scan and send them to TeachAway.

So the burning question..What do I pack?!

Well I thought I had all of this figured out. However, when I took my 3 suitcases to the airline counter and was told I could have 2 of the three and to make my decision, I wasn't prepared. I needed everything I packed. Everything. Yeah, I didn't need everything but I wanted everything. So here are my must haves, or rather what I wish I would have brought more of:

*T-shirts - maybe I am just picky but I like what I like.
*Workout pants/capris - especially more if you plan on wearing an Abaya for work
*Tennis shoes - they have them here, but I think they are cheaper in the states
*Any hair products you are a die hard about (for me, deep conditioners or straightening serum) or brand specific.
-----they have several brands (Tresemme, Pantene, Herbal Essence, Lorel Vive) available but if you are a Paul Mitchell or Salon Brand person -bring some and have some shipped over. I haven't found them yet.
*Make up foundation. I wear exclusively MAC - the studio finish liquid make up is $58 a bottle! You can get it here... but it is not as cheap as the states. They also have Maxfactor, Lorel, and Maybelline; I have not found covergirl yet.
*Plus size clothing - bring clothing that you are comfortable in. I have found business clothes in larger sizes but for the most part, its size 0-14 or 16. I found 18 in a few places. Same for guys.
*Shoes- If you wear a size 10 or larger in ladies, you might want to bring your favorites. I have been able to find size 10 shoes, but it is not as accessible. I'd say save the room in your bags and buy here. It is not impossible to find.
*Passport photos - it has taken a few weeks to figure out why I need these, but I have to give one to my landlord, to the property management company, to ADEC. You will use them just not right away.
*Apple TV or Roku- I brought my Apple TV with me. I also have subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime for movies.
*Headphones- my dad gave me beats with the noise canceling feature before I got on the plane. They were the best thing ever on that long flight.
*iPad/Laptop - I would definitely bring one or both. Keep in mind that many schools do not have laptops or computers for their teachers so you could be using your own. I brought a MacBook Air because the school computers are riddled with viruses.
*Pens - my family will laugh about this one, but I am a pen snob and I only like to write with certain pens. Again, this is a preference thing. Also Sharpie markers and Expo board markers if you are particular about brands.
*GPS - like a Garmin or Tomtom - when you rent a car it will be a life saver. I am great with directions and I paid attention a lot in the cabs so I am without one. I also can use my cell phone sometimes to load the map feature but sometimes it doesn't work. Or bring a good ol' map.


*Unlocked cell phone- You will need a GSM unlocked cell phone if you want to pick up a SIM card and be ready to go once you land. You can also buy a phone here, this is a preference thing if you want to shell out the money when you get there. Here is what I did:
1. Switched my service to T-Mobile before I left the states. They have coverage here in the UAE.
--My plan includes international coverage so I have my same unlimited texting and unlimited data with calls being .20 cents a minute. I have been using my phone on Wifi Calling in the hotel and the calls are free as well. My coverage is fantastic as they are partnered with Du (local provider here) and I have been extremely pleased with my service.
2. Before I left the U.S. I requested the unlock code from T-Mobile (keep in mind this takes about 72 hours to get sometimes so plan accordingly).  This means I can take out my US SIM card and put in the UAE SIM card to use my phone with a UAE number.
*I choose to not switch back and forth between the two; therefore, I carry two phones.

I did not want to do that but with my excellent plan from T-Mobile why give up that service, plus I am not losing my number from back home. I have an additional T-Mobile phone from home (also unlocked) and I have my UAE SIM card in that phone.
--Note: I was reluctant to getting the UAE SIM because I felt I didn't need it. WRONG! Everything here is done by SMS (text) and you cannot open your bank account without a local number. Go ahead and get the SIM card when you arrive.
--you will need a color copy of your passport which you can obtain from the hotel front lobby and your work visa for the SIM card

I feel like the packing should really be focused on necessities. If you want it, you can 95% find it here. There are more shops and malls that you can even imagine. However, if there is something that you are die hard, gotta have it - then bring it and buy some to leave at home so people can ship it to you. You can also ship things here in a barrel of sorts. Some of the ladies in my group did that! Good for spices, toiletries, and other things. They said it was very cost effective so I would google that for your area.

As always, if you have something specific you want to know about just comment or shoot me an email!

Expat Journey: So you wanna teach overseas v.1

If all sentiments could ever be captured in a graphics about making the move to teach overseas, I am pretty sure that the above says just about everything - you'd just need to multiple it like 32 times for accuracy.

I figured that since I have gotten several messages since coming to Abu Dhabi, it might just be easiest if I do a few post about the prep work that brought me over here to the sandbox. Please keep in mind that this is my journey and everyones experience is at least a little different.

I began this journey with a recruiting agency called TeachAway. I had a great experience with this company and would highly recommend them to anyone who is thinking of venturing outside of the U.S. to teach. You don't have to pay for their service, it is pretty straightforward and I thought the recruiting ladies were awesome. They always answered questions and kept us informed which is critical when your life is hanging in the balance going through this process.

This is my timeline:

July 29th was my first pre-screening call for a teaching position - was told I would be sent to the next round of interview in either New York or Chicago sometime in October for a December 2014 start date

August 6th - the Academic Vice Principal position re-opened so I applied, which had an October 2014 start date!

August 8th - was sent to second round of interviews since I already pre-screened that were TBD

*At this point I started collecting documents like a crazy woman, more on that later.

August 12th - due to extremely short turn around, I was scheduled for a video interview with ADEC personnel @ 5am my time (nothing like a whole lot of pressure!)

September 9th - Received my offer letter for an ASAP start date projected in October 2014

September 12th - sent all documents through Pro-Ex to get authenticated

September 29th - The first window of possible leave date was given as October 16-18 via email. Talk about nerve-rattling.

October 3rd - received documents back from Pro-Ex fully authenticated

October 6th - sent finalized documents to TeachAway with all authenticated docs to begin the visa process

No one left between October 16-18 from my leadership group..... still waiting..

October 22nd - some in my group received an email stating that immigration was experiencing some delays which could further delay our departure

October 23rd - still in Visa processing.. I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

November 6th - my group receives an email saying we might have updated information about our departures next week. And that was the entire email...

November 10th - received my school placement *which NEVER happens before you go, this normally happens after you arrive in Abu Dhabi, so never anticipate this

November 14th - I have cleared Security and my Visa is processing!!! YES!

November 20th - several members of my group receive their golden tickets... me, not so much :-/

November 23rd - I received my golden ticket about 2:45am my time

November 27th - Depart for Abu Dhabi

So as you can see, while it seemed like it took forever my process was actually quite swift. I am so thankful because there were several in my group that started the process in January or February. I don't think I would have had enough patience for that. The roller coaster ride of this is something else. The highs are very high and the lows are very low. Remember that patience or flexibility question in your interview? Yep, this is what they were talking about. The waiting phase between the time you get your offer letter and your departure will test every fiber of your being. Not only are you packing, selling, etc. the things in your life at home but you are trying to prepare for the completely unexpected at the same time. It can be very physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. My husband was completely supportive of this and he really kept me grounded. You will need a support system to get through this process with your sanity. You will have people ask you 5 million times, "When are you leaving?" and you will want to scream because all you want to do is check your email and have that ticket waiting there. I will tell you I was starting to lose my grip and then that ticket came.

Nothing can prepare you for opening your email box and it actually being there. Nothing. I remember saying some pretty words and then I got excited and then immediately overwhelmed and a bit scared. Not scared because I was afraid, but the scared of packing my bags, getting on a place and leaving every single thing I knew behind. What was I thinking? However, the excited was still there and it still is. In my next post - I'll talk about the document authentication process and why it was just so much easier to let Pro-Ex handle that.

Feel free to comment with questions. Don't forget to check back for more post to include document authentication process, what you should (and sometimes should not) bring with you, and some other things I found that helped out along the way.

Cheers!

Dang Kids

Happy October, only 4 days late!

Here I sit in a house that is almost empty, with a PODS container outside in the driveway holding what I have left that I will unearth when we return from our adventure of living around the world. There are still plenty of things left to do to get us  "move ready" but this morning I feel that trolling FB, IG, and Pinterest are all much more relevant to my mood than packing or going through anything else.

You see yesterday was my last day at my job. While most people would dance at the fact they won't be returning to their place of employment - I tried desperately to hide the fact that I was an emotional wreck and only one more hug away from complete and udder melt down, cue the ugly cry. I started with a semi- ugly cry yesterday prior to putting my make up on. At least I did things in the correct chronological order, right? It just hit me that I was leaving my students, and a few in particular,  I love as my own. I was going to miss going to Homecoming, Grad Bash, Prom, and Graduation with these kids. I have been with them since they were freshman. I felt a wave of guilt. However, I got myself together and got to the car, then my Instagram alert went off and in true ADD fashion I couldn't wait to check it....

Yep, cue that on-the verve ugly cry again... #shesmymomatschool, knife to the heart for real.

                                         

They pulled out the big guns... here comes the teary-eyed Mistie once again when I arrived at school.

It is still overwhelming to have it put out there that I made an impact on these kids. As an administrator, I have always been the bad guy - dealing out discipline, calling parents, it is just the make up of my job. However, I chose when I came into administration to not only be a disciplinarian but to also know my kids. I wanted to know about them, their home situation (which makes a huge difference in dealing with them), to have some sort of relationship with them where I was approachable but also stern when I had to be. Yesterday was all the validation that I needed. I do this job for the kids. Not for myself, for the teachers, or for the parents. I attended all the sporting events, bought countless t-shirts, tubs of cookie dough, candles, wrapping paper, dried tears, gave advice, helped write resumes, wrote letters of recommendation, spent time after school just talking with these kids. This list could go on and on. But I did everything for the kids. My kids. Did I love all of them to pieces? No, I will not lie. They drove me batty, gave me pre-mature gray hairs, and I've lost sleep over worrying about them. Yet, I always went back and looked forward to seeing them. These kids have been my life for the past four years and that is why yesterday while the pain was there I knew deep down as the hugs came, the tears flowed and I ate more candy and cupcakes than anyone should in a day, that I knew I made a difference. It is sad that several people in this profession never get that validation in a true form. I now know I accomplished what I set out to do when I decided that I wanted to become an administrator. Some have said that these students were so blessed to have me; I think that it is completely the contrary. I am so incredibly blessed to have watched them grow, to have learned from them, and knowing that I made a mark on them.  So, to the students that will read this - thank YOU for allowing me to be a part of your high school years. You have made me so proud. 

The GQ Club

Rodriguez, Signing off. 

Now where are my damn tissues... 

Be still my heart

I'm linking up with one of my favorite link ups with Bre from Peacoats and Plaid. You chould definitely check it out - I have found so many of my favorite blogs from this link up :)

This will come as a shock to no one that knows me, but I love school supplies. I mean, really like them. I can walk around the local Staples or Office Depot forever. I have always had a obsession with any kind of school supply item. My focus has always been on pens. If there is a pen manufactured, I have it. I am not too proud to admit I have boxes and boxes of pens...hello, that is called being prepared people. I will never forget when my BFF Meredith came to my house while we were in college. I don't remember how it happened or what we were doing but she opens up a zebra print box that was overflowing with pens. I could see the judgement on her face. It was a resounding "WTF is this" face. She still speaks of it to this day.

So it definitely was the best professional decision to go on ahead and become a teacher.  My classroom was the bomb dot com all the time. I always had writing utensils for my students. There was no excuse for not having something to write with. I would just pull out one of my multiple boxes of pens and pencils - the kids would stare at me like I was looney, and forward we went into writing heaven. I will say that the move from the classroom to administration was sad because I thought that gone were my days of having an excuse for all the school supplies, organizational tools, and planners. Oh, I love planners as well. Which leads me to the meat of this reminiscent post...

Last school year during the summer before the year even started I began to see these post from my teacher friends about these fabulous planners. I had never heard of them but apparently these Erin Condren planners were the next "it" item. Clearly, I had to see what the rage was all about. So over to her website I go, and my god it was the mecca of all things I need. Yes, NEED.  Stickers, Calendars, Stationary, Planners, Cards...  you name it and in all of its colorful goodness it is there. I decided at that moment I had to have one of these $60 planners. I wasn't sure if I could forge forth with a $60 planner purchase though. I mean a girl has to put some sort of limitation on her spending during the summer {teachers I am sure that you can relate}. So I decided to wait. I'll buy it during the fall I told myself. Well if you know high school like I do fall does not mean buying planners but rather football, homecoming, dances, and multiple other sporting events. Bottom line, no planner was bought. Sad face.

Fast forward to about a week ago when my sister Lindsay posted she had ordered one. Son of a .... I had completely forgotten about the planner and all of the goodness that was packed into it. So I made a comment on her Facebook post saying that I was going to get one but after my doctorate is complete because I wanted the front to say Dr. Rodriguez. I looked at the designs, longed for one again but said I was going to wait. Perhaps I need the extra motivation to get this paper finished. So I bookmarked the site and moved back over to Pinterest.

My mom gives me a call this past Thursday and asks me to come over to visit real quick because she has something for me. Hmm.. I hadn't asked for anything, so I wasn't sure what could be waiting there. Well, you guessed it. She bought me a planner with Dr. Rodriguez on the front and all. It is FABULOUS! Thanks mom!! I can't wait to fill this baby in :)  Plus, a big thanks to my sister Lindsay who helped in designing it.

How important is etiquette?

Hello cupcakes.. Can you tell that I am on my no cards/sugar kick? I could do bad things with some Crumbs cupcakes right now..

Anyways, Some recent events have made me have this thought about the notion of etiquette and the weight that they carry. Granted, I work in a school with almost 2,000 high school student so etiquette is merely an word and manners, well those are an anomaly. But I ask, when did manners fall to the wayside?

 I will fess up, I do not have perfect table manners by any stretch of the imagination. My elbows can sometimes be found on the table (other than when I am at that Prime Time Cafe at Hollywood Studios in Disney; a quaint little 50's diner that is completely retro - if you haven't been take a look here for more) but I have a pretty good understanding of how one should compose themselves when in public dining or even just in professional and casual situations. The epidemic of inadequate, lousy or unaccounted for manners is multiplying at a lightening fast rate. This wide-spread lack of manners is not only centered around today's youth but around the adults in society. We have become a society that is NOW! No excuse me, No holding doors. It is a "every man and woman for themselves" mentality.

However, is this now, Now, NOW mentality to blame for the lack of etiquette or manners? Or can people just not be bothered with the pleasantries anymore? Yes, there are times I am only polite because I was taught to be. Are there times I want to be a rude bitch because I feel like the person (Hello 16 year old hostess at restaurant, roll your eyes at me one more time..) deserves what they are dishing? Of course, but for the most part I have to keep the cray cray on the low because bottom line, I was just taught to act better than that.

So in the lunchroom, I make the kids say "May I please have a library pass" rather than "Library pass?". I catch flack from my colleagues because "it is really not a big deal". I beg to differ. These are high school students, they should (and probably do) know better. But when I afford them the opportunity to not even be pleasant or address me at all (I don't answer to Ms. either) I am feel that I am doing them a complete injustice by perpetuating this half-ass acceptance of their non existent manners. What is comical, the kids at first got very huffy about it, "Well then I just won't go to the library!!" and they would stop away (high schoolers, mind you).  Well please don't hurt my feelings! I didn't bend, even though several people I work with wanted me to as I was clearly discouraging reading. I stood firm, they are not going to the library to read - they are going to text or play some game on the computer.  Nowadays you can find my high schoolers in a straight line, asking the correct way for a pass to the media center and even saying Thank you! I even get asked how I am doing while I am shuffling through the library passes! So they can speak, address whomever they are around, AND use manners. I win!






  And because I have such stellar manners, I am SHARING a giveaway with you!!! Only a little time remains to enter, so make sure you get your entry in! a Rafflecopter giveaway