Generic Update #2

The run up to the end...

So it is all eyes focussed on the summer holidays now - exactly 36 days away as of writing these words. I thought, as an appetiser, I would regale you with stories of my recent exploits and detail my plans for those of you who do not know them (not many of you) or for those of you who are jealous (pretty much all of you).

It is beginning to get INSANELY hot, ah-gain. See Exhibit A:

EXHIBIT A

School has been a bit topsy turvy, with a few amendments to the contracts and the year level I am teaching but it all seems to have ironed out now and I have managed to gain some favour by organising the school photographs, with an unconventional company that takes a very informal approach to the sessions and pieces together really nice shots. (http://www.pret-a-portrait.net/) I also took my kids to the movies and laser strike, and it was intensely fun - really nice just to do something enjoyable and relaxed with my class, who I have managed to grow fairly fond of.

Of course school photos, meant I absolutely could NOT wear my usual work clothes, so I went shopping and finally found an outfit that fits the dress code and doesn't make me look like I am wearing a sack:

Then of course, we had a fire at school. It happened at night - so there was no danger, and we had two days off school, which was fairly awesome. Then we had to go back to work and observe (and participate in) the Arabic way of cleaning up a mess - which was to just paint over the problem. In one afternoon, soot black walls were white again. Unfortunately this was last week and the soot is beginning to seep through the new paint, but thats ok, it's not in my block.

The crap they dumped out of the window of the burnt up room, right by the intakes for the AC, which added a lovely fragrance to the building for a few days.

Dee during the clean up. Classy girl :)

I decided to be a good samaritan and foster some baby kittens from the local shelter. There were 4 two week old ginger lovelies, and I took 2 and Denise took the other two. I shan't be doing that again, as there is only one left and it's one of Denise's. It was awful and horrifying and devastating. After they 'went' I had to get Claire to come and take them away, that is so not something I can handle. But they were lovely for their very short wee lives.

Football is a crazy-mad sport here. It is the ONLY thing that is played. Boys play football or nothing, and its the only sport they show on TV, unless you pay for it. So I thought I should see a game. And I actually did!

That is me. At a football game. Actually having fun. With the lovely Matt and Mrs Mathew (Drama and Library, respectively)

Go Al Saad! Weooo!

Of course, Jen, Shell and myself were quite literally the only females in the stadium, and I needed to tinkle, and I had to get walked around to the other side of the stadium by security, as there was only one female toilet in the place. There is nothing quite as humiliating as trying to tell a conservative and slightly female phobic security guard, that doesn't speak a word of english, that you need to pee.

I have been up to my usual exploits

Dhow boat trips:

 Brunches:

Attempting to Skype the parents: (Oh I had to. This is one of the best pictures of the year! No remorse) 

This was the time when I was trying to coincide the Skype date with my cousin, aunt and uncle going for dinner at Mum and Dad's, and the first words were from Dad: "Sweetie, why is the picture upside down?" and my suggestion that they may have put the camera on upside down was more of a joke on my part - and turned out to be ever so true, and followed by Mum accidentally turning on the mute button, and all 3 of the Wilby ladies that are left in the Homeland were looking serious and confused and never able to fix it. So I took a screen shot. Because I am awesome.

I have also been playing Gaelic football. It is a WIERD WIERD sport. And hardcore. I was a very tentative player this season, joining so late in the year and not getting the concept of the rules, pretty much ever. At the end the team held a quiz and two things of a memorable nature happened. The first was that they asked us what the collective noun for owls was, and we decided it was "brothel" which I drew, and I thought I did a fair job at it:

And there was a huge giant poster for the Rugby World Cup 2011, that was (I'm sure you remember) hosted and won by New Zealand, but the world map had a gaping big hole of blank canvas where New Zealand should have been, so I drew it on:

European Invasion

So the official plans are set for Europe in, yes, 36 days. However before that I get the fabulous Gemma coming to see me here in the heat. That is only 20 days away. I have big plans, especially since its the end of the year and all sorts of things will be happening! Going to be swell. Then I leave this dustbowl far behind and meet Ma and Pa in Krakow, then on to Warsaw to meet up with our fancy tour through the Baltics. Vilnus - Lithuania, Riga - Latvia, Tallinn - Estonia, St Petersburg and Moscow - Russia. After the tour we are staying with friends in Zurich - Switzerland for a few days, and then we are flying into Heathrow and going our seperate ways - Dad back to NZ and Mum to see other friends and then me to see Jaime. Then after that I am going on a Topdeck tour (http://www.topdeck.travel/europe-trips/euroclub-hted/european-pioneer) that hits most of the main metropolis's (metropolesees?) on the continent. AH I am so excited. 59 days, 24 countries, so much awesome.

Halas

As usual, I finish with random pictures and thoughts, with an unusually large ratio of Engrish!

"Hey - do you like fish sticks?" "Yeah, I like fish sticks" 

An absolutely CHARMING pic of me and my dream car. Got told off by the Lambo guy for touching it. Then he laughs at me for asking if I can sit in it. So I told him it was a crime to make such a delicious car yellow. He didn't like me much.