The first week was tough since we were expected to be at school for orientation and meetings and leave the kids with a group of nannies. We did a lot of running back and forth to the apartment to check on them...which isn't fun when it is 40+ degrees. Our nanny, that we hired on a probationary basis from Canada, arrived on our second day and right away I did not have a good feeling. She did not interact with the kids and seemed more concerned with cleaning. She referred to the kids as the big one and the little one. I was physically ill most of the first week as we peeled the kids off us to go to school. I knew that they were safe but miserable. On some days we would take them with us to school with our nanny so they could play in the gym while we were at meetings. By the end of the week I knew that we had to let her go. It was not a fun job and not something I want to repeat anytime soon. She kept asking Why? Why? and she really didn't understand when I said she wasn't the right "fit" for our family. It took a few hours for me to start feeling better but I knew that it was the right decision. Our VP called a few other nannies and had an open call for available nannies and we interviewed about 6 the next day. There we met Flora and we both decided she was the one for us. She is from Goa, India, is young and has a son Isaac's age. Her English is excellent and she has energy and spunk. Isaac has warmed up to her quite a bit and Zoe is coming around slowly. (She is still missing Tammy; her babysitter from home.) Zoe only spends half the day with her as she has started school and is extremely happy there. Flora then picks Zoe up from school and they spend the afternoon together. We are definitely much happier now as the kids become settled in their new surroundings.
Once we got the kids settled we could start focusing on school. It is a huge staff..over 150 teachers; there are days that I see someone that I have never seen before in my life. It is divided into High School, Middle School and Elementary. Jamie and I are both in the High School so we don't get a chance to meet too many people from the other departments. I am teaching Grade 9 and 10 English and Jamie is teaching Grade 9 and 10 Information Technology and Theory of Knowledge (or as they call it TOK). I have been teaching for 11 years and I have never come across so many acronyms. HOD, MYP, DP, IB, AP...the list goes on and on. I thought I was going to run out of one of the meetings screaming FU to see if they could figure out that acronym. I think I am starting to get it all worked out. It was nice to actually stop the meetings and start teaching. The kids are great and very polite...haven't been told off once yet and we are into our second week! I have a lot of Mohammed's, Abudullahs, Noors, and Ahmeds. I am sure I am mispronouncing most names. My largest class has 20 and my smallest has 13. It is nice change from 30!! So far Jamie and I are both enjoying this part of life in Kuwait.
We are in a two bedroom apartment about five minutes form school but this is only temporary. We are waiting for a three bedroom apartment to be completed and hope it will be done at the end of the month. Jamie and I are sharing a room with Isaac and when he wakes up at five o'clock in the morning and starts yelling at us to play we aren't exactly excited. Hopefully, this new building will be done at the end of Ramadan (October 1ish) but apparently nothing really happens quickly in this country so we have been told not to really get our hopes up. We can see the new building from our apartment now and Zoe keeps asking when they will turn the lights on our new house.
I think if someone had offered me a plane ticket home in our first week I would have taken it 
and run all the way to the airport with the kids on my back. However, every day is getting better and better as we get used to our new surroundings, new schedule and most importantly see that the kids are happy.
and run all the way to the airport with the kids on my back. However, every day is getting better and better as we get used to our new surroundings, new schedule and most importantly see that the kids are happy. I have included some pictures of the school, the view from our apartment (the blue building in these shots will be our new apartment).
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