Celebrations

The past week has been filled with Celebrations, of all sorts. Last Thursday on Thanksgiving Day, we had 1/2 day of school for parent conferences. Blair and I were pleasantly surprised to have so many students and parents stop by to see us! All were very complimentary and we were thrilled to meet so many nice people. That evening we celebrated a traditional American meal with some great folks from the south... yes, Georgia and Tennessee (the only real southerners we've met so far). He is a pilot for Emirates and she is a business woman. I have their son in my class and they are hosting our student teacher from school. Great food and fun!

We were thrilled to get to celebrate with turkey and all the trimmings, again on Friday evening with some American families and friends. That was the first time I can truly say that the food taste like HOME! Sweet potato souffle, pumpkin pie... you name it... it was all fantastic!

This week at school we celebrated United Arab Emirates National Day. The UAE is only 40 years young and they are so proud of their nation! Flags on every other house, down the streets, over the bridges, colored lights on every downtown highrise, and even cars with new paint jobs to celebrate the occasion. So, at school we were all encouraged to dress traditionally or in the colors. Blair and I chose to dress with an abaya (black dress) and shayla (black scarf) for me and a dish dash (white gown) and kufiya (mens headscarf). We had so much fun! Some students and teachers did not recognize us and thought we were locals. You will find parents in and out of the school on any given day dressed like this, so it is not uncommon at all. We have a new appreciation for the dedicated folks who dress this way each day!

On Wednesday night, we celebrated finally getting our new car. We purchased a Toyota Camry and it took a few days longer that we had expected, but nevertheless, we have our own transportation now and feel so free. We don't know the roads at all, but just knowing we can get out and GO is a nice feeling.

So with only 2 more weeks of school, we are quickly approaching the Christmas holidays. We were given a tree by some wonderful American friends from church. So we'll get it all set up tomorrow hopefully. We have lights around the apartment and a poinsettia. A wreath for the door, some decorations for the tree and we're all set!!! We leave for Italy on Dec 20, so we are preparing for that adventure too.

We hope all is well with each of you back home and from wherever you may be reading this from. We love you all and appreciate you taking the time to read this rambling post. There are new pics as well, with lots to laugh about... so take a look and email when you can. A couple of folks asked about our mailing address... you can send to our attention....
Universal American School
Dubai Festival City
PO Box 79133
Al Rashidya
Dubai, UAE

Until next time... stay warm, get that holiday shopping done and spend time with each other... Kim