Okay....we have moved on to Prague! Overview: On day three of our Europe vacation, we left Vienna and moved on to Prague. Traveling by the train for the first time for me, other than subway and GO Train. I was particularly impressed by the 'dining car'. Pretty fancy I thought and loved the apple strudel they offered on the menu. It was superb! We stayed at a very historical and charming hotel (which I LOVE to do) right smack iin the middle of the Jewish Quarter and the City Center. We arrived in time for dinner and we were blown away by the number of tourists AND the beauty and history we found ourselves immersed in. The next morning we were out by 7:30 a.m. embarking upon a self-guided walking tour of many of the very ... read more

Happy Weekend! Hope you have some fun stuff planned for yourself! I had a great day (weekend here). I attended the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and had the opportunity to watch both Rory McIlroy AND Tiger Woods in the same threesome. What are the odds of that? How lucky was I? We started off at 7:40 a.m. thinking we were gonna see Tiger, Rory and Luke tee off (so read the schedule online), but we get to the course only to find that they didn't tee-off until noon. Funny thing is Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, and Lee Westwood were set to tee off at 7:50 a.m. so we decided to follow them for the first nine instead. Terri and I followed Sergio last year in Dubai, so that was a weird coincidence. Okay, I'll admit ... read more

Hello, Yes, it has been awhile since I have added another entry. Since my adventures are fewer and farther between, I thought I would add a few photos from the past couple of months here in Abu Dhabi. We have been allotted a three-week break here for the holidays, which is even longer than the teachers back home. One of the wonderful perks of teaching! I will be flying back to Canada from Dec. 17th-Jan.5th, and I am looking forward to adding another BLOG entry when I return from my holiday. I have rented a condo at a ski resort near Barrie, to spend Christmas and New Years with my family. So there should be some great pictures to share with you once I have returned. Also in March, we have been allotted yet another two-week ... read more

Hello family, friends and strangers! First week back to school with students is complete and I am LOVIN' it! I have been transferred to an all girls school, Khadeeja Al Kubra. Teaching Grade 4. A far cry from the all boys school that I requested but I really like my school, my co-workers, the grade level AND the girls are really sweet also....so an unexpected bonus. An even better bonus is that I am only a 30 minute walk from home...a short bus ride....and/or $2.00 cab ride (when my arms are too full to walk...u know teachers...lol). I have included some pics from my classroom (which I LOVE...don't neglect to notice the cool IKEA lamp in the reading corner...all the Arabic teachers keep coming in to my class to check it out) and my students. Also ... read more

Good Day Family, Friends and Strangers, Went kayaking early this morning (7 a.m. - before the heat , only 30 degrees C then, lol) in the Mangroves, which to my surprise were VERY close to where I live. One of the teachers (Jessica) from Terri's school arranged the whole thing, and with a coupon (2 for 1).....it only cost 75 drms each (like $20. CAD). I am now seriously considering purchasing a used kayak (not too expensive) and a membership, so I can do this every week (or more)....LOVED IT! What a great upper body workout while enjoying the serenity and nature of the groves. Plus, it is summer all year round here, so I would get more use out of it here than at home. However, we were on the water for close to 3 ... read more