So, my goal was to write every week. I started off strong, and then I've been MIA for the past 2.5 weeks. What have I been doing? Before you shout "She's been at the pool" or "Probably shopping", let me share my life these past few weeks. Long story short: I've been busy. Besides working full time as a 4 year old teacher (a lot more involved than it sounds, thankyouverymuch), I am also writing for a website where women can rent fashion; I am writing short articles twice a month now. The best part of that? It's a paying gig. I've also been tutoring three hours a week. I've also been socializing.
Last week, one of the women I met at the Dubai Social Group's Game Night is my neighbor. Like, literally. She lives in my building, the same tower, the same floor. She invited another friend and myself out to a comedy night. I was hesitant because it was on a school night, plus it didn't start until 8pm. I knew I wasn't getting to bed on time if I went, but I knew I wanted to do something different and if I say no then I'm less likely to be invited again. So, I said yes. The comedy night was basically a showcase of amateur female comedians and called "Shelarious", which I think was a fantastic name. It was being held at the Hi-Five Restaurant and Lounge and was to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When we arrived, we were shown to the table that was front and center. We were also presented with a cupcake. I was excited. To quote my father, "I like cake." But this cake was just okay. Very dense. I just ate the frosting. While we were waiting, our group put in some orders; I ordered the mozzarella sticks because you can't go wrong with fried cheese...or can you? They were just subpar, but I wasn't there for the food, I was there for the comedy. The evening was long, but some of the comedians had good jokes. Many looked at their notes which made the flow sort of falter. But I have to say, kudos to them for getting up there because I'm not sure I could. I mean, I like to think I'm funny, but more haha and not hilarious. The most important part of the night was being able to spend time with new people and get to know them better.
I also organized a speed dating event. Dubai has one company that puts together speed dating events. They charge a booking fee which is the same price as a good meal. I offered to organize one for my DSG Singles group (a mini sub-group from the larger Dubai Social Group). It was easy to get the men at first, but I admit I had to go through some other channels to get the women. On the morning of the event, I had a total of 8 men and 8 women signed up to "date". I was thrilled. Since I didn't have a printer, I hand wrote dating cards for each participant so they could take notes and decide yes or no for each date. My poor hand (I'm investing in a printer for the next one). I even made very small centerpieces to hold pens for each table. An hour before the event was scheduled to start, one gentleman had to pull out due to work. Now, here's my two fils on that: If you were placed on the work schedule, I'm assuming you probably knew before the time you had to work. Let me know in advance next time. That night, all the women showed, and 6 men showed up. The women were cool about it though. And, for the next hour, each rotation was given 7 minutes. It was fun to watch the participants get to know each other. At the end of the evening, I received a lot of good feedback. They loved the cards, the organization, the idea. So, next month, I will be organizing another one, but will definitely be asking for a booking contribution for my time and efforts!
And, before I sign off for today, I have to share that I am still loving my new school (which I can now somewhat pronounce!). The warmth of my colleagues is just amazing. For example, my co-teacher and I went to the camel farm together (read more on the Things to Do, Places to See page), and afterwards, she hosted a small dinner gathering with a few other colleagues. The food! The food was amazing! I brought a fattoush salad due to being limited on time that day, but my colleagues outdid themselves! We had labnah, a zucchini/onion/tomato dip, homemade olive tapenade (I don't even like olives but this was amazing), fruit tray, chips, pita break, pretzels, sparkling apple juice (red and white), pita chips, and more. That was just the beginning. For dinner, we had a couscous salad, tomato/avocado salad, the fattoush, and lasagna. And dessert was a raspberry panacotta, chocolate cookies, and mint tea. I tell ya, I don't think I could ever go back to teaching anywhere else after the experience I've enjoyed so far this year.
