Bizzaro World

Do you remember the Seinfeld "Bizzaro" episode? The one where Elaine hangs out with the opposites of Jerry, George, and Kramer. They all look similar, but have opposite personalities.

Well, I think I have entered this world. I have switched one group of 7th graders for another, but in so many ways they are polar opposites. My kids in the States had very rough lives, as some of you may or may not know. They had to deal with things adults shouldn't have to deal with, let alone kids. About 80% lived below the poverty line. There were single parents, parents with multiple jobs, and broken families. Gangs, drugs, alcohol, gangs, crime, abandonment, neglect, and all shades of abuse were (are really - I'm gone, but these things did not leave with me) daily intrusions into many of their lives. I guess I had become very hardened to it after a period of time. I kind of just took it for granted that that is the way kid's lives sometimes are. I really noticed this thought within myself as I was talking with a Kuwaiti colleague of mine. This woman runs our library, is perhaps in her early 50's, was educated in the US - doing both her undergraduate and graduate work there, and we have had a number of great conversations lately. Somehow the topic of my old school came up in relation to differences in culture and students and I told her about my experiences in my old school. Mind you it was only the Reader's Digest version, but I quickly noticed her face freeze and drop and her eyes tear up as I spoke. These are things she never really got to see even though she spent so much time in the US.

My students here are the Bizzaro kids to my students from home in so many ways. Chief among them is that these kids have never had to suffer for want (with few exceptions). They have everything they need, and more that they don't, at their disposal. I am doing a writing project right now and it is utterly fascinating. I having them write an extensive autobiography that will take nearly the first half of the school year to complete, and the side effect for me - besides the improved writing skills - is the amazing insight into their lives that I'm not sure I would have ever have gotten any other way. Here, in no particular order, is some random information about my current students. I'll start slow. Most have maids. Yes, maids, plural, four or maybe five. That does not count having a nanny and driver. They have things like TVs and computers in their rooms, which is not so unusual, until you learn that, in addition to that, they also own a laptop, an ipad, multiple gaming systems, and a couple of phones - you know, an iphone and a blackberry, like we all do. And don't think that having something new is good enough. Not when the latest model of whatever it is is out. I get lectured for having an iphone 4, when the iphone 4S is now out. I have to laugh when an 11 or 12 year old has to tell me about the superiority of said phone and tell me that I just have to get the new one.

We have been in the library typing the first six chapters of their autobiographies, and they are appalled by the outdated computers they have there, and rightly so. Their solution to this outrage? "Sir, can we just bring our laptops?" That's right. I am always referred to as "Sir" by the way. Apparently my school badge just has a picture of me with the name "Sir" on it. They will just all bring their laptops to school (I want my teacher friends at home to pause to catch their breath please. I know I could barely even imagine a world where that might be possible, let alone as easy bringing a pencil). And what else have I found out by reading about them? It's incredible really. I've lost count, but off the top of my head I think I have four or five kids whose dad's are ambassador's to different countries. Cuba, Nigeria, Hungary, Chile, and Kuwait (from Oman). I have a mom who a secretary to the king and a dad who is a high up in customs (his daughter found out I had to leave school for a half a day to go get a package that had been sent from home, she told me she'd give me her dad's number next time and then I guess "someone" would just be nice enough to bring it to me). There are dads that work in all sorts of high up government jobs. I have a dad that is the chairman of Rolex (hoping for a nice Christmas gift), and another that does some sort of work for both Rolex and Omega. The ruling family in Kuwait is named Al Sabah, and we have a number of students with this name at school.

They all travel. When they get to where they are going, they all stay in their house they have there. Whether that is there chalet at the beach, or their house in Paris or London. They have houses in any country you can name in the Middle East, and some have houses in Paris, London, and other places like Spain. I mean, how many people do you know that didn't send their teen aged daughters (you know, like 12, 13, 14 year olds) to Egypt to see Beyonce. It's enough for me to seriously start considering bribes. If you see pictures of me in Chamonix wearing a Burberry scarf, Rolex watch, Spyder

I'll save the topic of absentee parenting for another time though.

Decisions, decisions.

It's been awhile I know, but I'm a little lazy. I've also been a little busy. Busy trying to figure out all my vacations. Last year at this time I really had no idea I would be overseas. I mean, I always knew I wanted to teach overseas, but I hadn't started looking yet, and had no immediate plans too. But, conversations with coworkers who were looking to make the move lit a fire under me, and now here I am.

The great thing about teaching around the world is that affords the opportunity to travel, which I haven't really done since I was a kid growing up moving around the world with my parents. In the past, for vacations, I would always think local. Should I go to the beach, or maybe up to the mountain to go skiing? Usually day trips, nothing special. Now however, it is different. We had a week fall vacation for Eid (a Muslim holiday), and I found out very late in the game that I would be able to travel (long story short, I had visa complications, and I thought I would be Kuwait bound, but that is another blog story). Where would I go? Turkey, Egypt, Cyprus, Italy, and Sri Lanka all crossed my mind. Where to go? And what about Christmas? Spring Break?

Oh, how complicated my life has become. The choices are far too many, and everyone has their favorites. "Where are you going on break?" is the constant conversation starter. Everyone wants to compare and contrast. After much searching and several mind changes, I ended up going to Sri Lanka for Eid. Egypt is a little on the "exciting" side right now, Turkey had an earthquake, and the other places, while attractive, were very expensive at that late date. Let's just say I made a good choice.

Now, my choices are back again. I'm off to Bulgaria to do a little skiing for Christmas. Everyone I know is either heading home or somewhere else warm, but I want cold, snow and greenery (I guess I miss Oregon), so I am off by myself. I decided to land in Istanbul, and take a sleeper train up to Sophia to hang out there for a couple of days. Then down to Bansko for a week or so for Christmas (ever since I spent a Christmas in a ski village in Austria, I've wanted to do something like it again), then back down to Istanbul for New Years. Hopefully I'll get in some skiing, some snowshoeing, some steam rooms and massages, some R&R, with good food and drinks, and top it off with seeing some sights in two beautiful cities.

Now I just need to start planning ahead for Spring Break. I'm thinking either Portugal or Spain, but I'll take suggestions.