I just have to share how well the children are doing at school...
Zoe has been voted by her classmates to be on the Student Representative Council. Apparently they discuss issues about how to improve the environment of the school. For example, yesterday they discussed the fact that some of the students are burying their litter and they came up with some suggestions on how to stop the problem. Zoe also was "Star of the Week" for her class last week. She was recognized for her integrity and for her actions in making the new students feel welcome and included (3 new students in the last couple of weeks).
The improvements in Chase's reading are exponential. He started this year (kindergarten) barely able to recite the alphabet and being inconsistent in his ability to recognize letters. They have a "home reading program" and Chase is very diligent about reading every night. At school they are using the "Magic Words" program - an Australian based program for reading. They work through levels of words which are divided by how common they are. Each level has 12 - 20 words. I am not sure what they do at school to learn these, but Chase brings home sheets with the words. It took him several weeks to learn the 12 Golden words (first level). Now, he flies through the levels. Last week he completed 2 levels! He now knows well over 100 words.
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Friday, 8 May 2009
The Other Side of Dubai
From all the media hype about Dubai one imagines an ultra modern city with every imaginable amenity. That is true. Dubai has an abundance of skyscrapers with amazing architecture. They have built (well almost) the tallest building in the world and the a 7 star (??) hotel. They have dredged up the Gulf and built entire communities on the reclaimed land. One doesn't have to wait long to see fancy sports cars and other ultra expensive vehicles driving around. The many malls sell every luxury item that you could ever imagine or want. There are many luxury apartments and villas that sell for several million dollars.
That is why it is so startling when you take notice of some of the other sites in Dubai. We have seen cows standing in the back of pick up trucks. It is not uncommon to see trucks full of sheep and goats driving around. One day we saw a man walking his goat down the sidewalk! We have also seen a man walking his monkey by the beach. The sight that always makes me smile is the camel in the back of a pick up!
That is why it is so startling when you take notice of some of the other sites in Dubai. We have seen cows standing in the back of pick up trucks. It is not uncommon to see trucks full of sheep and goats driving around. One day we saw a man walking his goat down the sidewalk! We have also seen a man walking his monkey by the beach. The sight that always makes me smile is the camel in the back of a pick up!
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Dinner at the Ritzy Palm
We recently went out to dinner with our friends. The restaurant we chose was the Ritzy Palm. It is across the street from our apartment, but we only recently tried it on the recommendation of some friends. The name and the fact that we never see any cars outside were the reasons for our hesitation. Here is a time when looks can be deceiving because it is a fabulous restaurant with delicious food and great service.
When we walked in the door at 7:00 on Thursday, the waiter remembered us – even though we have only been there 2 times before (I guess we do stand out from their other clientele). Once again, we were the only ones in the restaurant. They start serving food from the menu at 6:30 and the buffet starts at 7:00. As soon as we were seated, the waiter brought us all our fresh squeezed fruit juice with apple bits floating in it. The kids loved it and boldly asked for more and of course were not denied. We decided to go with the buffet and we got the kids a couple orders of spaghetti to share between the 3 of them. While we were waiting, the kids asked if they could have a tour of the kitchen and off they went.
The waiter came by with the most amazingly delicious soup – I can’t remember what it was – for all 7 of us even though it was a buffet item and the kids didn’t have buffet. The waiter took care of the kids by dishing up their spaghetti and refilling their plates. We helped ourselves to the buffet of salads and Indian food and then of course there was the dessert buffet and of course the kids were allowed to have some too.
This evening of special treatment and abundant delicious food (for 7 people) came to a grand total of 204 AED – that converts to $56.00 US!
When we walked in the door at 7:00 on Thursday, the waiter remembered us – even though we have only been there 2 times before (I guess we do stand out from their other clientele). Once again, we were the only ones in the restaurant. They start serving food from the menu at 6:30 and the buffet starts at 7:00. As soon as we were seated, the waiter brought us all our fresh squeezed fruit juice with apple bits floating in it. The kids loved it and boldly asked for more and of course were not denied. We decided to go with the buffet and we got the kids a couple orders of spaghetti to share between the 3 of them. While we were waiting, the kids asked if they could have a tour of the kitchen and off they went.
The waiter came by with the most amazingly delicious soup – I can’t remember what it was – for all 7 of us even though it was a buffet item and the kids didn’t have buffet. The waiter took care of the kids by dishing up their spaghetti and refilling their plates. We helped ourselves to the buffet of salads and Indian food and then of course there was the dessert buffet and of course the kids were allowed to have some too.
This evening of special treatment and abundant delicious food (for 7 people) came to a grand total of 204 AED – that converts to $56.00 US!
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