This blog began as a description of our life in Al Ain, UAE (United Arab Emirates). Brn worked at the UAE University Libraries Deanship for three years and Bss homeschooled our four children, D, B, P, and O. After returning to the the USA for five years, we are living in Abu Dhabi now.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
2006/12/10
Only in the UAE
I had one of those "only in the UAE" moments the other day. A group of librarians from UAE U, Zayed U, and HCT trying to work out the wording on a brochure about a new service we are launching together. The only problem is that the group consisted of two Americans, three Canadians, three Emiratis, and one African who had learned British English, so trying to get everyone to agree on simple things like what preposition to use (e.g. we Americans wanted to say "staff at the university", the Canadian/British English users wanted "staff in the university"). After working all this out, I had to point out that few of the students at (or in) our universities will ever read any of this anyway, since we will also have an Arabic version.
2005/08/16
Biggest Adjustment
The biggest adjustment that I have had to make here, the one that is still giving me trouble, is not the weather (it really isn't that different from North Carolina in the summer time). It isn't the driving (it isn't that much worse than driving in South Carolina). It isn't the difference in money. It is the work week running Saturday to Wednesday.
It still throws me when people set meetings for Sunday, or say that they are anxious for Thursday to get here. Every Saturday feels like Monday, Monday feels like Wednesday, Wednesday feels like Friday. My mind, after thirty years of school and work beginning on Monday and ending on Friday, still wants to call the second day of the week Tuesday. After living in the rural South, the only thing that feels right is that most stores are closed on Friday (which feels like Sunday to me) morning. The other expats who have been here for years seem to have adapted, so I would guess eventually I will too. The good news for me is that when my former co-workers get to work on Monday morning, my work week is more than half over already.
It still throws me when people set meetings for Sunday, or say that they are anxious for Thursday to get here. Every Saturday feels like Monday, Monday feels like Wednesday, Wednesday feels like Friday. My mind, after thirty years of school and work beginning on Monday and ending on Friday, still wants to call the second day of the week Tuesday. After living in the rural South, the only thing that feels right is that most stores are closed on Friday (which feels like Sunday to me) morning. The other expats who have been here for years seem to have adapted, so I would guess eventually I will too. The good news for me is that when my former co-workers get to work on Monday morning, my work week is more than half over already.
2005/06/28
The new job
So tomorrow I complete my second week (the week is Sat-Wed here) on the new job. I think that I'm going to like it a lot. The people are very friendly and helpful. I'm still learning my way around and how they do things now. Tomorrow I have a meeting with the University IT people to discuss the relationship between the library and them and where we are going in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)