Mixed reviews...

Aside from random nostalgia about life in UL, the main thing I've been daydreaming about lately is what life in Al Ruwais will be like. I have been doing a lot of googling, and so far the reviews are very mixed... more on that below!

I found out today that I'll most likely be teaching K1 and K2, three and four year olds. This suits me as I love kids and I have a lot of energy for them.

I also got a provisional academic calendar; I'll have a week off in September and in November, as well as 10 days around Christmas and another two weeks later in January, and finally a week in April - So plenty of time for trips, I've been thinking about Egypt, Turkey, Saudi (if they'll let me in), Iran, Africa as well as smaller trips to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha etc...

If anyone feels like tagging along for any of this , do let me know!

Here's a quote from one of the more positive blog posts on the town/complex:

"Eventhough it can get boring at times, i love ruwais... Where on earth would you be able to walk alone at 10 in the night without having to look back,where its so peaceful and quiet and you can walk in the middle of the road coz theres not much cars, no traffic, where you hear the birds singing, the cats and the buzz of nature in the morning,where you can stare at the sky without skyscrapers hindering your view),where you can breathe clean fresh air.Where you can experience complete silence early in the morning .Where all your buddies houses are close and a walking distance.ah theres no place like ruwais."

And, contradicting the above somewhat, a more negative one:

"I LIVED IN RUWAIS FOR A YEAR AND WENT CRAZY WITH THE LACK OF AMENITIES AND SOCIAL LIFE. ALSO, WE DIDNT HAVE CABLE, SO THERE WAS NO WESTERN TV STATIONS (EXCEPT CNN) TO WATCH! THE POLLUTION IS TERRIBLE & THE HEAT IS UNBEARABLE. THE BUS SERVICE STOP REGULARLY FOR PRAYER, SO IF YOU WANT TO GO TO THE SHOPS (ITS TOO HOT TO WALK!) YOU EVEN HAVE TO TIME THAT. AT NIGHT THEY SPRAY DDT (TOXIC CHEMICAL) AROUND TO WARD OFF THE MOSQUITOS ETC.DONT LIVE THERE IF YOU CAN HELP IT!"

The main negative thing I have read on all websites is the lack of things to do. To that end I've decided to plan for making my own entertainment. Rather than bringing lots of clothes and stuff as others might (here's looking at you, Niamh), I'm going to fill my cases with books, dvds, poker sets and other games. Other suggestions welcome! I'm confident I'll make new friends pretty quickly, so it's just a matter of finding ways to have fun together once I do!

I should have the internet too, so I'll probably be spending just as much time on facebook out there as I do here!