Celebrations & My Doha Kristin

The first (and usually the toughest) week of school is finished! In some ways I could say it flew by, but at the end of it, I gotta say that it seemed like a reeeeeeally long one. Long, but great :) 

As you faithful readers know, my week started out with some irate parents and vomit but as the week progressed, things really started to look up. Actually, by the end of the day things were even better...largely in part to the sweet letters and notes I found in my super-cool Hawkeye mailbox by my desk. My personal favorite went something like this: "I was really nervous about starting 5th grade, but all that went away when I found out you were my teacher and how funny you were." I got the lump. 

On top of all that, my incredible fellow teachers were a huge support to me this week, as always. They were constantly checking in to see how I was doing and willing to help me out in any way they could. And we had many chances to see each other in the seemingly never-ending string of meetings this week! By Thursday, I'd forgotten what it was like to send my students off to specials and actually have that time to be in my room and work! It's par for the course, but thank goodness it'll soon shake out and we'll be back to normal. This will especially be true when Ramadan is over. We have a special schedule during Ramadan that shortens classes and screws up an already confusing schedule. This week alone, my kids got ten minutes of extra recess, almost missed their foreign language class, and at one point we started math even though we had a tour with the principal! Ohhhhh good times! I'd also had the fun experience of looking down at the floor one day and seeing drops of blood. I followed said drops of blood to find one of my students, sitting on his chair with blood all over his shirt and a kleenex stuffed up his nose. Poor thing just didn't want to inconvenience me by telling me about his nose.

By the time Thursday rolled around, we were all exhausted but it had been a great week. I had learned the names of all my kids AND the names in the other class I teach. A solid victory in any school let alone at this one where some of the kids' names are Fahad, Ayah, and Shaskia. Gorgeous names, but not always easy to commit to memory :) After school let out, we got to party a little and relax at our principal's house as we celebrated surviving the first week of school. It was great seeing all the teachers that you never run into. We had a great time, especially when Katie and I went out to her car after the party to find a cat sitting on the roof of it...just chillin. Not an uncommon thing here. 

One of the third grade teachers that also lives in my building (affectionately known as "The Bin"), invited us up to her place for a while. I had met her a few times in passing but had never gotten to know her. Turns out, she's MAJORLY into sports, has all ten seasons of "The West Wing" & "Friends" and gets REALLY uppity (and a little loud :) ) when someone tries to argue against her love of the ACC, Twilight, football---the list is extensive. Anyone who knows me well should know what's coming. That's right ladies and gentleman, not only did I find a Vegas version of my best friend, but apparently God thought it fitting to provide me with a Doha version as well! So my Doha Kristin (who's name is Allison) loaned me the first season of "The West Wing" and invited me to come watch college football (via her Armed Forces Network connection) anytime! We're officially bonded for life.

When I finally had the motivation to do some laundry this weekend, I wasn't sure how it would go. I had to be especially careful about sorting because in Doha right now, cold water simply does not exist. There's hot and even hotter; a fact that unfortunately reared it's ugly had as I hissed and whimpered my way through my shower today. (It was a quick one.) So I go to check on my laundry about half way through the washing and realize the bottom of my new Hawkeye lounge pants are soaking wet. I look down and the drain is covered and piled up with suds! (I took a picture and put it on facebook but the suds died down by then) So I made a mental note to do laundry in capris from now on and the rest of the process went off without a hitch. Another hurdle conquered!

Unfortunately, the weekend went by all too quickly and the second week of school starts tomorrow. However, the brightest spot in my whole day was Skyping with Jerms and Missy and getting to see my babies. Drew and I ate red grapes together :) God bless you all! Time for bed.