As I was walking back from the high school building yesterday, I stopped to take in the awesomeness that is my school. Treetops is a non-traditional charter school on a 22 acre campus. The K-3 buildings have the look and feel of a summer camp, with trees all over the place (never would have guessed, huh?), a pond with resident turtles (and snakes), a creek winding through the campus separating the 4-12 upper school from the K-3 lower school, and trails that are used as the track for PE, as backgrounds for Photography and Video class, as nature walks for elementary kids, and as a killer setting for capture the flag. There are wild daffodils and irises growing in the spring time right out my classroom window and greenery is everywhere.
My class only has 15 students of all makes and models, and their parents are actively involved in their education because they have chosen to send their child to Treetops. I'm going to miss this environment and the community spirit that inhabits the school. Hopefully I will be welcomed back into the fold upon our return from our family experiment/adventure, because it is an awesome place to be.
So, I will miss my school. Things I will also miss:
1. Big Red
2. QT Coffee
3. Starkhead
4. Chipotle
5. Baseball. They don't play baseball over there. At all.
6. Holiday decorations
7. Half Price Books
I will also miss people, but that will take a much longer blog, and I have 4 months to make that list and edit it.
Masaa al khair (good evening) wa (and) ma:a salaamah (goodbye)
Rachel
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Let the games begin!
I'm sure that in order to move to another country, most people have the same hoops to jump through- such as packing, sorting, garage sale-ing, etc. But because I am going to teach in another country, I have to have my documents attested.
What does this mean? It means redundant redundancy. It means getting 3 different agencies to authenticate the same important documents. Seekteachers told me they have an agent that can do it. Sweet! How much does it cost? 994 pounds. Putting that into the flux capacitor and carrying the 5, that comes out to $1,527.78.
Uh. Maybe I can just do it myself. So, I began researching the process.
Step 1: Get 2 of the 5 documents notarized. But I have to create an affidavit first. Thank God that I worked in the legal field for 8 years. Then get them notarized.
Step 2: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, a $15 fee per document, a form for each document, and prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, Document Authentication Division. Be advised that there is a 10 day processing window.
($1,527.78 might be doable....)
Step 3: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, an $8 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the United States, Document Authentication Division. Be advised there is an 8 day processing window.
(I mean, 994 pounds isn't real money......)
Step 4: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the United States, a $30 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC. Be advised there is a indeterminate processing window.
Ugh. GEEZ. I'm sure your brain is as fried by that thought as mine is. That $1,527.78 isn't looking too bad. But alas, I can't bring myself to pay that much money for something that I can do myself. By my calculation, it will be about $300, depending on how I ship the documents.
So, for the next few months, I will be waiting by the mailbox. I hope I don't die like George Costanza's fiance from licking the glue on too many envelopes.
Masaa alkhair wa ma:a salaamah
Rachel
What does this mean? It means redundant redundancy. It means getting 3 different agencies to authenticate the same important documents. Seekteachers told me they have an agent that can do it. Sweet! How much does it cost? 994 pounds. Putting that into the flux capacitor and carrying the 5, that comes out to $1,527.78.
Uh. Maybe I can just do it myself. So, I began researching the process.
Step 1: Get 2 of the 5 documents notarized. But I have to create an affidavit first. Thank God that I worked in the legal field for 8 years. Then get them notarized.
Step 2: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, a $15 fee per document, a form for each document, and prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, Document Authentication Division. Be advised that there is a 10 day processing window.
($1,527.78 might be doable....)
Step 3: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, an $8 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Secretary of State of the United States, Document Authentication Division. Be advised there is an 8 day processing window.
(I mean, 994 pounds isn't real money......)
Step 4: Send all 5 original documents plus notarized affidavits, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, certificates of authentication from the Secretary of State of the United States, a $30 fee per document, a form for each document, and a prepaid certified self addressed envelope to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington DC. Be advised there is a indeterminate processing window.
Ugh. GEEZ. I'm sure your brain is as fried by that thought as mine is. That $1,527.78 isn't looking too bad. But alas, I can't bring myself to pay that much money for something that I can do myself. By my calculation, it will be about $300, depending on how I ship the documents.
So, for the next few months, I will be waiting by the mailbox. I hope I don't die like George Costanza's fiance from licking the glue on too many envelopes.
Masaa alkhair wa ma:a salaamah
Rachel
Monday, April 15, 2013
Mid-Life Crisis?
Jason and I have always been interested in other cultures and seeing the world. Appreciating different cultures is something that we've stressed with our kids. Jason grew up moving around and living in many different places as an Air Force brat, and then saw a lot of the world in the Navy. As one of my friends has so lovingly pointed out, I am as "white bread" as it comes. I have no culture to speak of. I never went anywhere growing up, never experienced anything other than what the booming metropolis of Azle, Texas had to offer. As a kid, I wanted to join the PeaceCorp to experience the world. Yeah, that didn't happen. Jason and I have just lived vicariously through the Amazing Race, House Hunters International, and NatGeo.
Last May, I signed up with an international teacher recruiting company called Seekteachers. There were job postings from all over the world- China, Thailand, Chile, Dubai, etc. Dubai caught my eye. Most people know about Dubai, or maybe I just assume that everyone watches as much House Hunters International and Build It Bigger Marathons as I do. Either way, Dubai stirred my interest. Can you imagine living in a place with so much affluence that it's disgusting? We knew that there was a large ex-patriot community there, and that even though the government is bound by Shariah, it was a very Westernized Arabic city. We began the process of applying and providing documents and Skype interviewing.
But alas, I did not hear anything. I had a few leads, a few bites- No, I can't move to the UAE in 4 days- No, I don't want to teach in Nigeria- and then I was offered an interview with a school director in Al Ain in March. A couple of phone calls to London from a broken down cruise ship in St. Maarten ensued, and I received a contract.
We are moving to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates in August. Where is Al Ain? Check out the link.
No, I don't have to wear a burka. I basically have to dress like I'm Pentacostal while at school (long hair and Keds not required), but can wear what I normally wear outside of school (with the addition of a few undershirts).
Jason and the girls are super excited. We're all moving over, the girls are coming to school with me, and Jason will probably play PS3 until he's able to get his work visa and get a job.
Why is your blog entitled That's Funny Spanish, you ask? Well, we've been listening to learn Arabic audiobooks in the car and at home. Landry told me, "Mommy, that's funny Spanish." "That's because it's not Spanish, it's Arabic." "Why are we learning Arabic? Are we moving to Arabic?" "Yes, honey. We are moving to Arabic."
And on that note, masaa al khair wa ma:a salaamah.
Rachel
Last May, I signed up with an international teacher recruiting company called Seekteachers. There were job postings from all over the world- China, Thailand, Chile, Dubai, etc. Dubai caught my eye. Most people know about Dubai, or maybe I just assume that everyone watches as much House Hunters International and Build It Bigger Marathons as I do. Either way, Dubai stirred my interest. Can you imagine living in a place with so much affluence that it's disgusting? We knew that there was a large ex-patriot community there, and that even though the government is bound by Shariah, it was a very Westernized Arabic city. We began the process of applying and providing documents and Skype interviewing.
But alas, I did not hear anything. I had a few leads, a few bites- No, I can't move to the UAE in 4 days- No, I don't want to teach in Nigeria- and then I was offered an interview with a school director in Al Ain in March. A couple of phone calls to London from a broken down cruise ship in St. Maarten ensued, and I received a contract.
We are moving to Al Ain, United Arab Emirates in August. Where is Al Ain? Check out the link.
No, I don't have to wear a burka. I basically have to dress like I'm Pentacostal while at school (long hair and Keds not required), but can wear what I normally wear outside of school (with the addition of a few undershirts).
Jason and the girls are super excited. We're all moving over, the girls are coming to school with me, and Jason will probably play PS3 until he's able to get his work visa and get a job.
Why is your blog entitled That's Funny Spanish, you ask? Well, we've been listening to learn Arabic audiobooks in the car and at home. Landry told me, "Mommy, that's funny Spanish." "That's because it's not Spanish, it's Arabic." "Why are we learning Arabic? Are we moving to Arabic?" "Yes, honey. We are moving to Arabic."
And on that note, masaa al khair wa ma:a salaamah.
Rachel
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