It’s been four months to the day since my last post and plenty has happened.  Part of the reason for my absence has been a technical difficulty I had with the blog that kept from logging in for almost 2 months.  By the time I got it fixed I was out of the habit of updating it and I was already incredibly busy with an established routine so the blog got neglected for a bit longer than it should have.  Here’s what’s been happening for the last few months…

Probation=Finished!
I passed my probation at the university and now I am considered faculty at the university’s foundation program.  I’ve got the same courses again this semester, however, I’m the secondary teacher in one course.  This means I’m just helping students out as opposed to marking/prepping teaching it all.  Being secondary is a nice change of pace.  Originally I was to work exclusively on an iPad project with one course but the powers that be decided that I should increase my contact hours.  Overall it’s not a problem.

Learning Arabic
I started taking an Arabic class in the evenings after work back in February.  I’m enjoying the experience of starting off from the alphabet with a new language. I finished level one back in late March and now I’m in level two.  It’s a humbling experience to be completely lost in class without a clue of what the teacher is saying and little grasp on the handouts on the desk in front of me.  It’s also a good reminder of what it must be like for my students who struggle in my own courses.  It gives me a little more insight regarding the differences in English and Arabic which further informs my classroom practice.  I’ve spent a large chunk of my break studying Arabic so I can get more out of the lessons.

TESOL Presenter
Another big goal from last year was to present at a conference so I applied to present at TESOL Arabia and was accepted.  The presentation went quite well and I received good feedback from participants.  Two people even contacted me after to ask for my slides.  I hope to do at least one presentation per year at conference in the future.  Next year I am looking to do something on using google services in the classroom.

Triathlons
So after I fell off the wagon I decided to register for the Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March.  I chose the Olympic distance (1.5k swim / 40k bike / 10k run).  Instead of hedging and using words like ‘hopefully’ or ‘try’ or ‘if’ I started using definite language. I told myself (and others) that I’m going there and I’m going to do it. I re-read the important parts of my triathlon books and uploaded an entire training plan into my calendar as a reminder of what I needed to do everyday.  And I followed my schedule and goals almost to the letter.  This meant there were days when I’d be running in Aspire after 9 pm or biking after 10 pm because Arabic classes but I wouldn’t let myself go to sleep without finishing off that schedule.  When the day came I felt excited and nervous.  Most importantly I felt ready because hundreds of hour of practice and preparation made me ready for the moment.  My times were near the bottom of my age group but this wasn’t about competing with anyone other than myself.  My goal was to finish with a smile on face and I did that.

40…
My thirties are now a memory.  For the third year in a row I spent my birthday in Dubai.  This was due to TESOL Arabia’s schedule.    Next year I’ll be in Doha on the day.  I’m never too sentimental about birthdays but I appreciate the friends who took the time to acknowledge the day and be a part of it.  I can be quite moody on birthdays as I usually reflect on where I am in life versus where I want to be.  This year however the distance between those two points is closer than its ever been.  I’m thankful to those who have helped me close that gap.