Bangkok 7s Rugby tournament

Well I was in Bangkok for the weekend, not something most people can say but yes I flew there for 4 days. It was a great time had. I was Refereeing the 7s tournament there. It was a very fast tournament and I learned a great deal from the weekend away. We got into Bangkok on the Thursday night and went for a bite to eat at a great restaurant, great food, great price and met 2 other guys that were also reffing at the tournament. Afterward we went to have a beer and get to know one another at a local watering hole. Outside of the bar, Elephants are walking by trying to get people to pay for food for the elephant and get their picture taken as well. it was sad really, I bet these Elephants had not seen the Jungle in many years. There was lots of local culture willing to sell their trade and it was fairly constant asking if we were looking to have a drink with any of them. It is amazing that the economy relies so heavily on tourists and yet tries to ripe them off at every turn they can. The bar tried to add a few more drinks then we ordered onto the bill and we were hassled for money and even the cab driver tried to increase the fair by 1000% that is the one thing that is frustrating about the city.

On the positive note, there is so much history and interesting people to see and take pictures of. some of the buildings are so old and the culture is really great to be a part of. I could see myself living in a city like this, for a little while anyway!

The Rugby was great, it was however a very long day. We reffed quite a few games each day and the intensity of the games certainly did not diminish with the heat or the rain at night. No one was seriously hurt and the team that deserved to win did so over all I would say it was one of the best rugby experiences that I have had to date!

I will be looking forward to going back next year if I can make it. if not from Dubai then maybe from the next place I will be living. I have started looking for a new job now, not sure if will be staying here in Dubai a few more years or not, it is good to keep your options open I guess.

well that is about it for now.

enjoy the snow!

Curtis

Random thoughts...

Well it is time for a bit of a ramble I think. It has been a long time since I have done one so here goes. I have no idea where I want to go in the next 5 years... I know that most of us do not know what their 5 year plans is...but we are talking about me here so please if you have advise fire away. I have done the normal things like written down what I want in life, where I would see myself in 5-10-15 yrs. It is a bit of a blurry picture to tell the truth. Anyway, my thoughts have been interuppted in the last hour with meetings and such, I will get back to it now.



I like Dubai, I really do...the traffic not so much. It is a great city with a lot of things to offer a person in my situation. My situation if you wondering is that a single gainfully employed male, expat. I have had more reffing opportunities in rugby then I ever thought possible. I am very thankful for that. I have met some of the most amazing people that are driven, determined and have a desire (sorry for the aliteration) for life and exploring that rubs off on me. I have heard life stories that have been both inspirational and devestating to me. My only (well I am sure I can think of more) gripe in life at the moment is that I feel that I am floating with little direction. I do know I am the only one who can provide it for myself too.



I have been told that the early 30s for most men is a panic state, either they have committed to a life they are not happy with or have felt (as I am) that they wonder when the grown up in them will take over. I know that I am much more mature then I was in my 20s. I can sustain myself in life, I have a great job and some friends I can call on when I need a beer or to figure out the cosmos of life. I guess at times in life we have to think what we need in our lives and whom we need. I definatly think that has been happening for me for the last little while. I look forward to the day i sort it all out...ha ha.

Well I am going to go on living life and trying to sort it all out, I need to focus a little more on what will make me happy in life and where I want to be, I do believe that where I need to be in near family, I am grateful for this amazing experience but family is important to me and I need to keep them close. I not sure when I will be coming home, but I do think it will be in the next few years, lets see if that plays out or not...

Curtis

Funny kids

Well I have not really talked to much about the funny stuff that happens in my classroom. Well for those whom have been waiting for said subject with a Dubai flair....here goes.

Me: "Class today we are talking about and drawing idioms"

Class: silence....

Me: "Does anyone know what an idiom is?"

Class: silence....

Me: "How about I say a few and see if you have heard them before"

Class: "That would be a good idea Mr. Hegge"

Me: "it is raining cats and dogs..."

Class: "Yea we have heard that before, what does it mean?"

Me: "It means it is raining really hard, that water drops are so big it is like cats and dogs..."

Class: "ha ha ha, that is funny"

Me: "here is another, your eyes are bigger than your stomach..."

Girl in my class: "not my mom, she had a tummy tuck and now her stomach is the size of her thumb cause my dad says she got too fat after having kids......"

Me:"Ummm......ok but most people have a bigger stomach than their eyes.....moving on..."

kids do say the darnedest things....

have a good week all...

Mixed bag of info

Well, this blog like most comes with information that may or may not be interesting but I have found it to be helpful in getting down on paper. (or the web) The good news first is that I have been appointed to referee at the Bangkok 7s in Thailand at the end of the month. I am very excited for that. I would love to be in better shape for it but I do feel that I am in alright shape and should not embarrass myself too much. It is a free trip to Bangkok for 5 days altogether, well not free I do have to run around on a rugby pitch for a few days and help out where I can too. So I will keep everyone up to date on that fun event in the next few weeks!

I have sat down last night and talked to a job recruiter for search associates to decide what my next 2-5 years will look like. It was a very strange conversation to talk about working somewhere else next year when we have barely started this year, international teaching defiantly teaches you about planning. It is different feeling for me...planning. anyway so in the next 6-10 weeks I have to make a decision, to stay here, go to another school in Dubai or elsewhere or come home. This is not an easy one. I will keep you posted on what happens.

well, I do have more stuff I could talk about, I hope everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving! I would love to be with my family on Sunday and Monday but we will be having our thanksgiving here in Dubai with friends too.

It's all Greek to me...

Well there are parts of being an international teacher that have serious benefits. Like for example when the Ministry of Education decides to extend a 4 day holiday to a 9 day holiday for the end of Ramadan. you do not question you book a ticket last minute to somewhere nice and warm. That is what I did and with a buddy of mine we went to Corfu, Greece. It was fantastic to say the least. It was the low season so it was not crazy busy so it turned into a very low key, stress free week in Greece.

We went to Athens first to check out some of the most amazing history I have seen in my travels to date. Eric and I got off the plane and tried to figure out exactly what we were doing for the day and not to let too many people see that we did not have a clue to what we were doing. (to my surprise no one ripped us off) With 3 maps open and buying a Athens guide at the airport we sorted out that the bus into town. It was a good choice to drop our bags off at the main bus terminal and set out for the day. After talking to a really nice woman at information we set out to see all that we could in the day ahead.

First off to the Museum of Archeology, that showed some of the most amazing sculptures and pieces from the past that I have ever seen. It took us a few hours to get around the displays and take as many pictures as we wanted to, which was very surprising. We did however find out that no flash was to be used...I used flash for the first couple of pictures and NO posing beside the exhibits...we had to erase the pictures that we did that for. So we managed to have a woman follow us for a good 20 min to make sure we were following the directions. I do have to say in my defense that the rules are poorly explained in a hand drawing outside of the Museum....

One of the display guards did however let us touch a statue that was 2000 years old they had recently found it and it was the only piece that was not to be photographed as it has not yet been released to the media that the Museum even had possession of it yet. it was a very amazing time to be had.

We finished that off and went to a local watering hole for some food and to sample the local beverages. we found such a place and had some great food and a few local pints it was right beside the museum and had a open patio so we could watch people walk by as they were coming from the museum and milling around in front. At this point it finally sunk in that we were in Athens...it was a great feeling!!

We then travelled down by foot to the Acropolis, I have to say one of the most incredible walks I have been on, you can see this thing from miles away (that's even further in Km), seriously though it is a sight to see. It is also a bloody long walk and even more fun up the hill/mountain it was built on. I felt sorry for the poor people who had the pleasure of building it up there. Anyway it was crawling with people but still an amazing sight to see. there were all walks of life there and I think I got some really amazing pictures!

Once we took all of our pictures of the Buildings we were a bit tired and needed refueling so we went to find food and to sit and watch the hoards walk by. The food is quite amazing, and yes for those who know me I did ask for no onions, tomatoes and mushrooms....I am still 4 years old...

At this point in the day were needed to find out bus to get to Pattras to catch the ferry to Corfu. The bus was hard to find as the bus was Labelled in Greek....the good thing is that the local winos are more then happy to help for a Eruo or two. We took the 3 hour bus ride to Pattras with out much incident...The bus was full enough that people had to stand and Eric my friend was lucky enough to have a little girl with downs fall asleep on him and the proceed to snuggle him for 2 hours. He does not deal well with little ones so he struggled a bit, I could not get access to my camera to take pictures but it was quite a special moment they shared...

We got to Pattras which again was not announced but everyone with a backpack was getting off so we figured it was time for us too. We walked to the ferry, which is massive too and sat down for our 7 hour journey to Corfu. At this point Eric asked why we had not paid for a flight to Corfu over the ferry as the chairs had less then an inch of padding on them. We upgraded to a bed to sleep the night away...it was the best 20 Eruo extra I have ever spent.

We got to Corfu and the Pink Palace bus was there to pick us up....it was great. more to continue on the next blog...do stay tuned....I have to work sometime.

Ramadan Karim

Well it has now been a few weeks back into living in Dubai and life is good. I got a new SLR camera this week so I do intend on using it a lot and getting some great shots of Dubai for all to see, so look for those coming along. I have started reffing rugby again this week. It was a killer, the temperature was 38 degrees and we were running for 80 min. After my game, I thought I was done but the next refferee needed another assistant ref so I stayed to help him out. For my effort that day someone decided they needed my running shoes more then I did and took them from me while I was on the field. I hope karma is strong with those shoes and the person looses something of thiers.

I hope to get my car this week, still waiting for it....it has been almost a month now since we have been back and talked to the dealer. It is amazing how much paperwork is required to buy a car overseas, I think when I got my car in Canada it was done in 3 days and the guy told me that was a long delivery time for the car....if there was not such a high demand for cars here I think a few more businesses would fold quickly. But this is how life is here, everyone wants to be in Dubai and with that long line ups for everything, that is ofcourse unless you have tons of money to throw at the problem then chanels tend to open up quickly.


Ramadan is nearly over now, it has been much less of a hasstle then it was last year, I am not sure why but it has seemed quite normal, I guess I am doing a lot more and not looking to go out for drinks or eat during the day. I have not relied on shops as much, as they are closed during the day, well till 7ish when Iftar starts then all the resturants are packed with people. It is definatly and interesting experience. Loud music is a big no no so even if you do go for a drink at a pub the music has to stay down low, but that usually means that the weekend Ramadan is over everyone goes crazy. There are some big parties planned for that weekend. I am hoping to go to Nepal for the break, we are tying today to setup that trip. 4 days golfing in Nepal, I will take tons of pictures I am sure.

Well I have now spent more then enough time not working and should get back to it.

Curtis

It seems that my seams are wrong....

Well for those who read regularly or those who have stumbled by my blog I have been corrected in my last blog. I have misrepresented the word seams...it should have been SEEMS. Yes I know I am a teacher.... I try.

Anyway, so I am now 2 weeks into Dubai and life is good. traffic has become much worse, everyday the radio says something politically correct like there is a bit of congestion on Sheik Zied Road today......what that means in Dubai is that get your coins out because you will be parked there for the next few hours. I really like the city, I LOVE working at the school I am, mostly because of the kids and the fellow staff members but...the traffic is crazy. If I did not own a Ipod I think I would have a case of road rage that would make the hulk look like a Pansy. I do have an Ipod and luckily I turn it on as I leave from the area I have been and make my way back to the Hor, I should explain....we have termed the area Hor Alanz East to the "Hor". There are several reasons for this and besides that it takes a lot of energy away from you trying to get back into the Hor....in any other city the area we are in would be crawling with....well you know. Luckily the ladies of the night in Dubai are a little more conspicuous. we are blessed, now the good news about the area I am in is that I can get food of wide variety as long as it has a middle eastern flair and groceries delivered to my door with a phone call. The phone call sometimes is a exercise in futility as it would be quicker most times to walk to the store the struggle with the English that the person on the other end of the phone has learned 8 minutes prior...

Most of the rant was for humour, it is easier to laugh then get mad here. I should get back to work I do have a bit of planning to do. I will sign off, it SEEMS there are people still reading this so I thank you for that.

take care all, or you if it is only one reading this....


C

New blog

Well Ladies and gentlemen it is time for a new session of blogs from Dubai. I am sure it will be packed with interesting facts, pictures and stories....maybe a rant or two as well. Anyway the summer in Alberta was fantastic, I got a chance to hang out with my family and see some friends that I was missing even reacquainted with some people from my past that helped the summer be a great one. My brothers wedding was a great part of the summer, they are so good for each other and hope they have an amazing life together and I can share in some of their memories...

Well I have now been in Dubai for a week and it has changed a fair bit, the buildings (well some) are even bigger, seams like there is even more people on the roads and the same inefficiency are still prevalent. Ha Ha. It was great to see everyone that I worked with last year and hear their stories and adventures over the summer. The new staff that I am working with seam great, they are all very excited to be here. It is funny to see myself in their shoes last year and think about my growth as a person (still a long way to go on that) while wondering how they will cope with some of the interesting differences of Dubai and the life here.

As some people have asked me it has been hot here but not as hot as it was when we got here last year. it has been a comfortable 40ish most days dropping to 30ish at night and last year that was 10 degrees warmer so it has a much different feel to the weather this year it is not unbearable just slightly too warm for most people instead.

I am still living in the same area as i was last year and I realize I did not put up any pictures of what that looks like so I will make an effort this year to let you know more of what my surrounding are like. it is quite interesting for sure. there are places to eat everywhere and get your hair cut every 50 meters it seams. I really do not know how these places stay open but with costs for certain thing so much lower I guess it is easier on the owners.

well I have procrastinated long enough and should get back to planning as the kids come in on Sunday and we get rolling with school in a few short days. It really is amazing how time can fly by when you are not watching. I will make more of an effort to blog what is going on or even rant when I need to. Thanks to everyone for your support and occasional e-mail it does mean a lot to me to get them.


take care...

My School

Well all I am now 3 weeks away from getting on a plane to head home so I thought I would post pictures of my school, a bit of Kuwait oh and Hockey night in Dubai...yes there is a hockey rink for all of the Canadians that are here. when it is 40 degrees outside a hockey rink is freezing, but it was great to go watch a game. Oh and I had my 31st birthday in the Middle East too, I will make sure that I get some photos of that night here too.

The school here in Dubai is massive, it however is not yet on google earth, they are about 2 years behind in filming here so I can not give you a link to see it there. The school is in Festival City and there is an amazing golf course (it is a Canadian company) the Four Seasons is a PGA quality course and I have had the pleasure of golfing it a few times this year. Anyway back to the school, the campus is massive with lots of room to expand, it is very modern and 3 floors of classrooms. Max class size is 25 but I feel that may change as the years go by and the cash flow becomes more, they will more then likely increase the sizes. anyway it is a great campus with an outdoor pool which I have made every effort to abuse the use of. My classroom is one of the biggest in the school I have 25 student computers, a interactive white board and we have just recently ordered about $25 000.00 worth of software for the use in the lab. I am really looking forward to next year to have these students working on everything. the school is a split elementary and high school and shaped like a V so that they try to keep the big students from the little ones to avoid confusion and fear. It is a great facility.

Hockey in Dubai is a bit better the beer leagues in Canada but not by much, there are some really good players and some new to the game locals even playing. it was good hockey but the ice has a hard time staying cold with how warm it is here so the puck bounces a lot but hey, you are playing hockey in the desert, can you really complain? A few staff memebers play on a local team so we went to support them, plus they have really cheap drinks at the rink too. a double rum is about 4 bucks. heck of a deal...

I have a few pictures of Kuwait but will get more up, I just have to find them... it was a good time and quite surreal how quickly a city will rebuild itself and how you would never know that the US came in and made a mess of the place, it is quite a beautiful city. The roads are very confusing and like most middle eastern countries the drivers are all insane. The pictures i am putting here are of a resort that I was taken to and there is a ship off the back of it that is really stunning.

I am excited to be coming home, golfing and seeing my family and friends. I am looking forward to getting around to see everyone and thanks to everyone who has kept in touch it has really ment a lot to me.

I may post one more before I go so look for it, I imagine my excitment will only increase as the closer I get to June 13th.

Curtis