One Year Ends; Another Begins

The Voyage Home

With the 2010-11 school year coming to a close, we got to celebrate Molly's graduation from Kindergarten in June, wrap up all the things that needed to be done at school during the last week of June, say farewell to all our desert friends for the summer months, and head back to Alberta for our summer vacation.  It was definitely one of the most interesting, exciting, and challenging years I have ever had and although there might have been times early on in the year when I wondered why I had moved my family half way across the world, I certainly have realized at the other end of the year, that it was very  much worth it.  It has definitely changed our lives in ways I could write about here for pages and it has been the best gift that we could have ever given to Molly - she has benefited from this experience far more than we had ever hoped!

Having said all that though, we definitely 'worked hard and played hard' this year and were simply worn out - and were definitely ready for a break and the opportunity to head back to Alberta for our summer vacation.  If we thought we were going back for an opportunity to relax and recuperate - that just wasn't in the cards!  We look back at the summer now that we are back in Abu Dhabi and realized that there was not a single day that the three of us had the opportunity to have a day just to ourselves - something that we have become accustomed to having over here and had been taken for granted a bit for sure.  I often cringe at the thought of having to attend a two or three day family reunion, but our summer could be described as nothing less than a 55-day, non-stop, family reunion!  Somewhere in between all of that we managed to both rejoin our baseball teams and play ball all summer, got a chance to visit with some of our very good friends from home and some that even came up that work with us in Abu Dhabi, and managed to get away to Edmonton, Edson, and Jasper for a couple of days.

We also got an opportunity to meet some new friends and future family and I got the chance to scratch an big item off my bucket list as well!  All-in-all, it was a great summer, my Bombers were having a stellar season, Danielle's future father-in-law shared a golf tip with me that turned my game around, I put on 8 pounds, got to spend time with Danny and Donny, and had a great time!

We're back home in the UAE now and are back in the saddle and have had a great start to the school year!  We have had some friends from home join us here on staff and have added an outstanding bunch of new teachers to the family here at the Canadian International School.  Molly has started grade one and adores her new teacher Miss Ashley and is excited to be back at school - and so are we!

The Home Stretch

I have no idea where the whole year has gone!  It seems like only yesterday that we had this crazy idea to move half way across the world and try our hand at a something totally new and unknown.  There were times that we looked at each other and wondered what the heck we were thinking when we made the decision, but those moments faded quickly and we now find ourselves calling Abu Dhabi home.  The school is a great place to work and play and the people that we work with and have met through our association with the school have been great!  Molly has made so many new friends from all over the world and has grown so much just from the vast opportunities and experiences that this adventure has brought her way...that in itself has made the adventure worth the risk!

 Since I last blogged we have travelled several times to Dubai and went to Thailand for our Spring Vacation.  If you are ever making a list of places that you need to go before you die, Thailand is one name that should be on that list!  The country is beautiful, but what is even more beautiful are the people that live there.  I don't think we will even find a people who are as warm, friendly, humble, and hospitable as the Thai people...we are still going to look in as many places as we can, but I don't anticipate it getting much better!

 I went back to Alberta in March to interview and hire new teachers for the next school year and was able to interview some of the most amazing talent I have ever seen in one week.  The crop of teachers we hired make me quite excited for the upcoming year and they include three Bonnyville connections who we can't wait to be here with us in the fall.

 The school year is winding down now and we are spending alot of time getting ready for the next school year - we are adding a Band program in the secondary school and will be putting on the school's first ever graduation as we add grade 12 to our school next year - I said I would never coordinate another grad again, but it looks like I'm about to eat those words!  The kids are pretty excited so I'm sure it will all be worth it!

 We get on the plane for home on June 30th and are very much looking forward to see all our family and friends again.  I hope to make it home that night in time to play ball with the team, so boys - be ready...for the return of the Rhino!  Christine is looking forward to visiting 24/7 and Molly is looking forward eating a hamburger at A&W!  I know we will miss our new 'family' and friends from over here, but many plan on stopping in at our place in Alberta over the summer vacation so we will have the best of both worlds for sure.  Take care - and we'll see you all very soon!