The more I read the blogs and facebook posts of UAE teachers, the less I think they have travelled.
Now, I'll be honest, I'm probably rather unusual in this regard, as I've been travelling (and living!) overseas since 1996. And even within the US I tend to move to whole different subcultures every time I pack my bags. I don't have many roots, and I'm not terribly attached to any traditions other than going out for coffee and watching the world wander by. And I really don't get homesick. And I really do love living in new places.
So maybe I'm a weirdo. I mean, I, like everyone, get frustrated in the face of a new way of doing something I did quite successfully elsewhere...but in the end, I'm usually flexible enough to take new standards in stride. Two hours to get to the mall in Bangkok? No problem. The dead of night at 3pm? Kind of comforting. Rain 360 days of the year? Is this heaven??!?
(Of course, that last will be practically nonexistent in the UAE, but I think I can be flexible and substitute rain for relentless sunshine.)
What I like most about travelling is the flexible concept of time that most other cultures enjoy. Except when I lived in Britain (where time is kept at least as stringently as it is in the US) - and when I visited Germany - the people of the world (so far) are far less tense about time, on time, late, early, convenience and speed of service, etc. Life is more about people. Other people, usually.
I'm not spectacular about chattering with other people, but I like people. I find them interesting. And I'm usually more than willing to put aside a task (any task, really; I'm not terribly task-oriented) to deal with a person. This proved quite useful in an alternative school environment but was less impressive elsewhere. Whatever. It is a good habit 90% of the time.
Anyway. I like to travel. I'm not too fussed about the traditions of "home" (which topic is a post all its own), and I've managed not to put down roots anywhere much at all - or, conversely, I've put down little roots all over the place! It doesn't take much for me to feel at home, and I quickly find a semblance of balance in any new setting.
I see that a number of new teachers haven't had that experience before they moved to Abu Dhabi. Which is a pity, really, because the stress of forcing a new place to feel like an old place...is just one more stress added to a teacher's day, and it's a stress that's never resolved.
The lucky teachers adjust, find a new normal. The unlucky ones spend a year or two in an untenable situation, possibly sticking it out for the pay, probably giving themselves ulcers in the meantime.
I count myself among the very lucky ones, who've been in that place before - that place of understanding nothing but kind of enjoying it, actually - and have the experience to handle new challenges. Everywhere is different, no one does it like they do back home, and that's not bad or backwards - it's just different.
I like different.
And I strongly believe everyone should have a passport and get out of the country once in awhile!
Now, I'll be honest, I'm probably rather unusual in this regard, as I've been travelling (and living!) overseas since 1996. And even within the US I tend to move to whole different subcultures every time I pack my bags. I don't have many roots, and I'm not terribly attached to any traditions other than going out for coffee and watching the world wander by. And I really don't get homesick. And I really do love living in new places.
So maybe I'm a weirdo. I mean, I, like everyone, get frustrated in the face of a new way of doing something I did quite successfully elsewhere...but in the end, I'm usually flexible enough to take new standards in stride. Two hours to get to the mall in Bangkok? No problem. The dead of night at 3pm? Kind of comforting. Rain 360 days of the year? Is this heaven??!?
(Of course, that last will be practically nonexistent in the UAE, but I think I can be flexible and substitute rain for relentless sunshine.)
What I like most about travelling is the flexible concept of time that most other cultures enjoy. Except when I lived in Britain (where time is kept at least as stringently as it is in the US) - and when I visited Germany - the people of the world (so far) are far less tense about time, on time, late, early, convenience and speed of service, etc. Life is more about people. Other people, usually.
I'm not spectacular about chattering with other people, but I like people. I find them interesting. And I'm usually more than willing to put aside a task (any task, really; I'm not terribly task-oriented) to deal with a person. This proved quite useful in an alternative school environment but was less impressive elsewhere. Whatever. It is a good habit 90% of the time.
Anyway. I like to travel. I'm not too fussed about the traditions of "home" (which topic is a post all its own), and I've managed not to put down roots anywhere much at all - or, conversely, I've put down little roots all over the place! It doesn't take much for me to feel at home, and I quickly find a semblance of balance in any new setting.
I see that a number of new teachers haven't had that experience before they moved to Abu Dhabi. Which is a pity, really, because the stress of forcing a new place to feel like an old place...is just one more stress added to a teacher's day, and it's a stress that's never resolved.
The lucky teachers adjust, find a new normal. The unlucky ones spend a year or two in an untenable situation, possibly sticking it out for the pay, probably giving themselves ulcers in the meantime.
I count myself among the very lucky ones, who've been in that place before - that place of understanding nothing but kind of enjoying it, actually - and have the experience to handle new challenges. Everywhere is different, no one does it like they do back home, and that's not bad or backwards - it's just different.
I like different.
And I strongly believe everyone should have a passport and get out of the country once in awhile!
1 comment:
Hi Amy, I agree with you on this one. I had the opportunity to visit Europe and the Middle East via the Army Reserves. I absolutely love to travel and meeting new people. I am a single parent about to turn 41, have one daughter who is a senior. After I get her in college. I am going to "live it up" My DREAM JOB is to be a travel writer. I majored in journalism but, ended up in the mortgage field now teaching.
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