People are People Wherever You Go

Having been here the past couple of weeks, we have met more people in a shorter amount of time, than ever before. People at the apartment, people at school, people at church, people in the malls, people who drive taxis and people in the service industry. And at the end of the day, you can be 7,000 miles from home, but people are people wherever you go! That should come to no surprise actually, because if our Great God created us all, then why should we expect it to be any different? These past weeks have been filled with many highs for us. We cannot put into words the kindness, friendly, hospitality all 3 of us have been shown. We have been treated to dinner (at Outback... yumm), treated to a home cooked meal (even more yumm) with a relaxing pool to top it off, and Grant has been picked up for a youth outing with teen boys from church to hang out and watch rugby and eat pizza. Those are just a few of the wonderful local experiences we've had with people we've met the past week or so. The fact is, that at some point, all of these terrific people were NEW to Dubai too, and they are paying it back. It's so nice to be waiting for a taxi, and a teacher pulls over and says, "hey, do you guys need a ride home", or for someone to tell you about an outing going on, and then they add, "where do you live, we'll stop by and pick you up"? It just makes the transition so nice for all of us.
Blair has said daily, "we're getting a car for sure" because if you know Blair, he likes to hop in the car/truck and go SEE people. It will take several months before we're able to do that because of residency visas/ licenses/ etc. We can rent a car soon, so we'll probably start with that to test the waters a bit!!! I say we, actually I don't think I'll drive anytime soon, but will want the opportunity when it arrises!
So, all in all, things are great... We are on holiday this week, as the Eid holiday is here. We don't have to work again until 5 September, but we are going in a few days this week to get our rooms ready. (Always something to do when you teach). Guess I'll close for now... have some errands to run today, and maybe something new to explore. I'm sure we'll meet more people today along the way!!!

So Far, So Good!

We've been here just over a week now, and it's pretty surprising to me just how smooth this transition has been! I would never say perfect, because there is no such thing, but certainly calm, peaceful and refreshing. The apartment is ample space for us, with nice large rooms. We are starting to "cozy" it up a bit, with rugs, lamps, etc. The school is great... Blair and I both have really large classrooms and most of the tools we need to get started teaching. The staff and administration at school have been the best. All of the new teachers, about 25 of us, have really gotten to know each other well, and have begun to depend on each other as well. Some of us ride back and forth to school together each day, so the drive time is a nice time to get acquainted and talk about things to do in the area, places to visit, the best prices for this or that, etc. We are a very diverse group... US, Canadian, Australian, Irish and South African. Hearing the wonderful accents is pretty wonderful! The administration is terrific... very professional, yet realistic too and most helpful is getting us settled in.
We have visited many malls (the thing to do in Dubai) as we are continuing to shop for things. Plus, the malls are the most beautiful you'll ever see. Even if we aren't "shopping" just walking through is a treat! Most of the malls have HUNDREDS of stores... international, local and American. We've eaten McDonald's, KFC, Chili's and Coldstone Ice Creamery, to mention a few chains. But we have tried a good bit of international cuisine as well... Indian, Thai and Mediterranean mostly... and it's all good!
The day of worship here is on Friday, so we visited a church that I had heard about and read about online. Redeemer Church. They meet in a local hotel, which is common here and it was a wonderful experience. We met many super friendly folks and have been invited to dinner with a family this week! We are looking forward to going back and seeing what God has planned for us there.
Grant has an iPad and staying busy investigating that until school starts on Sept. 5. He goes to the mall with a friend a good bit, so he is adapting well. Blair is making friends (imagine) and hoping to start playing basketball soon, with some other teachers. They are going with a couple of teachers from school to the Duke basketball game being played here in Dubai this week... how fun will that be, for Grant to walk into a Duke game wearing all Carolina attire... he wants them to know he's from NC of course!
Guess that's enough for now... I'm adding new pics to the blog, so take a look if you want. Also, some of you have asked about sending us mail... if you go to the bottom of our page, click on the school website, their PO box is at the bottom. You are welcome to send anything you like to our attention at that address. They will put in our teachers box.
Please feel free to email us anytime as we LOVE hearing from folks back home. Also, if you SKYPE, please let us know. If you have never experienced it, it's pretty cool, and it's FREE!
Until next time...

We're in Dubai!!!

After many months of planning, packing, preparing and praying, we are finally in Dubai! This place is unbelievable indeed! We arrived, after two flight delays and 14 hours in the sky, in the late hours of Friday evening (Dubai time). The staff welcomed us and took us to our new home which was only minutes away. We slept a bit, then awoke early to unpack, etc. We spent Saturday shopping for needed items for our apartment, and basic grocery items. We have now been to 3 different malls, and they are all unreal! Every kind of store you can imagine, and Mirdiff City Centre is only a short walk from our apartment.
Now, after working at school the past 4 days, learning everyone's names, trying to set up new phones/internet/etc , blood and x-ray tests, blowing an X-Box AC adapter, shopping every day for something, adjusting to being 8 hours ahead of NC time, remembering to not open a bottle of water in public (because of Ramadan right now), learning to be more enunciated when talking so people understand us, getting used to sunrise at 5:30am, and many other NEW things I could go on and on about, we are feeling somewhat normal! The staff at school is FANTASTIC! Grant has met a new friend across the hallway, whose parents also teach at the school. We have eaten out every night, and enjoyed a dinner cruise with the new staff last night. Many of you are probably wondering about the heat, and yes it's hot, but this NC summer has indeed prepared us. As Blair puts it, "it's like opening an oven door, but once you're in, you get used to it." Honestly, for me, it's not as hot as I expected. There has been a bit of a breeze each day, and that helps tremendously. Well, guess that's enough for now. We'll be heading to the mall shortly, to go bowling, check on cell phones, buy a few groceries and have dinner. Thanks again for being interested in our journey, and know that we appreciate you all... If you ever thought of visiting Dubai, my suggestion: start working on your plane tickets now... it's really pretty incredible!

Friends are Forever!

With only 7 days until we leave this little town of Cherryville, I cannot imagine leaving without saying goodbye to all of our wonderful friends! When you live in the same place all your life, you just take it for granted... you just KNOW you have friends. There's some you can't remember exactly "when" you became friends with and then there's those that have been there from the very beginning. The ones you went to church with, the ones you were in school with, the ones you played ball with, the ones you spent the night with, the ones who were in your wedding, the ones you called in the good times and bad, the ones you shared vacations/trips with, the ones you taught with, the ones you shopped and scrapbooked with, the ones you cried with, the ones you joked with, the ones you prayed with, the ones you will never forget, as long as you live. Blair and I truly have the BEST friends anyone could ever dream of having. Most of them in Cherryville, yet others all around the globe.

These folks have given us send off parties and sent well wishes our way over the past month. Something they didn't have to do, but something friends do for each other!!! So to those of you out there, and you know who you are... WE LOVE YOU, WILL MISS YOU, BUT KNOW THAT OUR RETURN WILL BE CELEBRATED WITH YOU!!! Kim and Blair