One Week!

Wow! The time is passing quickly here. I have now been here for over a week. I am surprised by how non-strange it all seems. I know that some of that feeling is due to the fact that it seems like I have just flown back to the Quartier Arabe in Bordeaux (or any other large French or Belgium city). The ability to speak French has been invaluable. I have come in contact with very few people who do not speak French.

At my training in NY they encouraged us to make some goals for our first week and first month in our new country of residence. Those I had for my first week were almost accomplished. I wanted to know the neighborhood where I am living enough to be able to go out and get groceries by myself. I also wanted to learn how to greet someone in the local Arab dialect (which is quite different from modern standard Arabic). My third goal is the one that gave me some trouble. I had planned to use the few days here before I started work in the school office as unpacking days. Those of you who know me well know that I HATE packing and unpacking. So, I thought if I got it done right away, I wouldn’t have that nagging feeling of it hanging over my head and I would feel much better about my new “home”. Well, I arrived only to discover that the housing planners here decided that it would be better for me to temporarily stay with one of the Americans who’s been here a while so I could have help getting around and then be able to be that helpful person when the rest of my team arrives on August 15th. That was a VERY GOOD plan, but it did push that goal back to my list of first month goals (which I don’t really remember anyway…).

This week has been full of trying new things… I tried pistachio yogurt – which is delicious. I tried some coffee offered to me by a new local friend – it had some kind of spice in it (we think cardamom – she only knew the Arabic name). It tasted kind of like chai tea, only made with coffee. I also tried getting to school by myself in a taxi this morning. That went pretty well since all the taxi drivers speak French. I was a little nervous by the story one of my co-workers told me yesterday about one new teacher a few years ago that had a nervous breakdown after his insane taxi driver got them into a head-on collision with a semi-truck and although the teacher didn’t have major injuries, the taxi driver died. Please remember my safety when you think of me!

(By the way – I finally found an office where I don’t have to wear a million layers! I think it is about 80 F in here! You Hanover friends would die!)