Spring break has finally arrived. Last Thursday we had our Mother's Day program - Mother's Day is March 21st in the UAE. We LTs (licensed teachers) were expecting to teach the second half of the day after the morning's program but, Hamdullah, school adjourned at 12:00 and we were able to leave at 12:15. Freedom! Joy! To put this into perspective I have been working since Christmas break without a day off except for one sick day and one holiday. Additionally, we have had PDs (professional development) Sunday through Wednesday, for an hour after school, EVERY week since September. Understand that teachers in the USA have professional development once or twice a MONTH and interspersed throughout the academic calendar are professional workdays in which teachers are able to plan and develop lessons in school without distraction in addition to time off due to national holidays. In other words for the latter points, a teacher has time to recharge mentally and emotionally. Because in spite of what the numerous uninformed critics may think, teaching is a very demanding profession . . . at least on the elementary level.
My joy for spring break is compounded by the fact that though I'm off from work, my girls are not on break. Their school is still in session. So I get to have some adult time without children during the day most of this week. I won't be alone though because a dear friend from the USA has come to visit. I've kept the girls out of school one day to spend time with us and will do the same when we go to Abu Dhabi at the end of the week.
As just mentioned, my friend Phyllis, journeyed all the way from San Francisco to spend time with another friend who lives in Al Ain, Gary, and me. The three of us were as thick as thieves when we lived in Bloomington, Indiana. (I lived there from 1980 to 1986 while attending graduate school at Indiana University.) We are members of the same religious community, the Baha'i Faith, and met each other within the Bloomington community which was a loving and vibrant Baha'i community. That community will forever be dear to my heart for the spiritual lessons and of course, the friendships I gained. However, of the many friendships formed, the one established between Phyllis, Gary, and me was very special. Last night we were reminiscing about the specifics of how each of us came to know one another and become so close and we realized that the year I met Phylis, the three of us spent practically EVERYDAY in each other's company. (I knew Gary prior to that but we were not close friends - friendly but mainly acquaintances.) And when Phyllis moved from Bloomington to Indianapolis, we still maintained our connection because either she'd travel down to Bloomington or we would go up to Indy for visits.
I mentioned in a fb post a while back that I am fortunate to have friends with whom I may not be in constant communication but when we do reconnect it is as if we have been in touch all along. Phyllis and Gary fall into that category. Prior to moving to Al Ain, the last time Gary and I were together was in 1987 and we had not been in touch since then. Phyllis came to visit me in Miami in 1992 or '93 and that was the last time we had been together. With the exception of a brief phone call to let her know about the birth of my children in 2000, she and I were incommunicado until . . . the advent of Facebook. It might have been three years ago that I received a friend request from her. From that humble request we reconnected and I went to visit her in San Francisco year before last.
As I made my decision to move to the UAE, I informed Phyllis because she had lived in Saudi Arabia for four years and I wanted to see what her thoughts might be. Phyllis was enthusiastic; she wholeheartedly gave me support without any reservation or concern about safety or cultural issues. She then told me that she thought that Gary was living in the UAE and that she'd contact him to find out which emirate and city. Lo and behold a few weeks later she wrote to tell me that he lived in Abu Dhabi and specifically in Al Ain! This was a serendipitous coincidence which made my moving here both less anxious and more exciting. Fast forward to this week and we are reunited to create new memories. Memories that now include my daughters who have embraced and been embraced by my wonderful friends.
Phyllis had been Dubai about 15 years ago while she was living in Saudi but to say that Dubai has changed since that time is an understatement. We spent the weekend there visiting the old section of the city - the Bastakiya, sailing on Dubai Creek, and shopping in the old souk. Of all the places I've visited in Dubai up to this point in my journey, I can say old Dubai is the part of the city I love the most. The girls and I said we will go back there time and time again just to meander the alleyways and galleries because it is, for lack of a better word, charming.
M&I compare Dubai to Miami and Al Ain to Florida's capital, Tallahassee. As we prepared to leave, they said that it was now time to go back to Tallahassee and though they liked Dubai, they loved Al Ain and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. (Which is funny because they LOVE Miami and do not like Tallahasse.) Still, I guess that's how it is with old and new friends: you really like your new friends and enjoy the new experiences and excitement of creating a new relationship. But the familiarity, depth of connection, and abiding love of old friends dwells deep within our hearts and we cherish them mightily.
