The school is called the Aljazira Football Academy. It's essentially a soccer farm that offers academic classes as well. First day, I was told by the principal, the vice principal and the English faculty that the first priority is athletics, not academics. The students, they told me, might need to miss school or sleep in class because they are tired from training. I was informed that students would often miss class because they play on the national team and would be traveling to other countries to compete.
This is a tough pill to swallow for me, but I'm coming around to accept that I can only work within the confines of the environment I'm in, and that I can still be of service to these young men by using the class time we have to further their skills in the English language. So it isn't likely to be life-changing for them. Learning another language is its own reward, even if most of these boys are going to rely on their feet to make their way in the world.
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| Sas Alnkhl School, where my school is currently housed. |
I'll also be teaching the faculty here, which will be interesting. The principal would like all of the faculty to take the IELTS, an international standardized test of English language skills. He'd like me to assess their current skills and teach a class that will help them to succeed on the exam. This is a new challenge for me, and I'm looking forward to it, although I'm not sure I know what the hell I'm doing. As is the case with much of the professional world, I'll be making it up as I go along, at least at first.
The young men in my classes, I should mention, are great. On the whole, they are very respectful, friendly, and seem to genuinely want to learn. The class sizes are small, so I hope I'll be able to learn a lot about them as the year progresses. I am optimistic about the actual class time, even though I have my reservations about the school system itself.
The faculty has been very welcoming, although I definitely feel my "otherness" there. I am the only native English speaker in the school--most of the the faculty are from nearby countries--Egypt and Lebanon mostly--and a few are Emiratis. It seems that most of the new teachers who have come here are in schools where they have a little cadre of westerners with whom they can discuss the difficulties of coping in the new setting; I am much more on my own in this regard. I have times when this makes me despondent, but I'm hoping that it will push me to venture even further outside of my comfort zone and befriend people from the region. I'm hoping, too, that it will motivate me to continue studying Arabic. So far, I've acquired about a twenty-word vocabulary. There is a long way to go.
In other news, Frances and I are moving into our new apartment today! In just a few hours we'll depart the Aloft Hotel and taxi over to Al Manzel Hotel Apartments, our new home. We're both relieved to be out of hotel living, and excited to finally have a home. The apartment is in the "Tourist Club" area, which is basically the downtown, with plenty of places within walking distance for good eats, etc. I expect that being in the downtown area will alleviate the feelings of isolation we've been experiencing. Insh'allah, as my Arabic friends would say.
Got around to check out a little more of the city. Bit by bit, it's becoming more comfortable and less intimidating. Learning where things are, how to get things done. Trying to meet people, though this is difficult as I am borderline antisocial. A journey like this certainly makes you appreciate your friends. (Hi friends! You're awesome.)
Also, I'd like to say that I love Skype. How cool is it that, all the way from Abu Dhabi, I can see Chad and Ben pretend to make out? Okay, it's actually a bit gross, but the technology is cool.
I'll leave you with this, which speaks for itself:
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| No bacon, of course. |
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