UmmSalah | ExpatWoman.com
 

UmmSalah

UmmSalah
172
Posts
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Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 16:55
I never expected to find a library :D Much less such a well-stocked one!! Can't wait to visit :D
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 13:12
Are there any services that consolidate multiple packages before shipping them (to save shipping costs)? I guess that wouldn't be in their interests, but we've had a service like that in Egypt and it saved a ton compared to SNS.
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 13:05
I searched the catalog for the library in the MOE and found a lot of them :) Even Cam Jansen! http://olddub.cirqahosting.com/HeritageScripts/Hapi.dll/search1?SearchPage=srchgen.htm
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 04:20
ahhh I'm so excited about this!! :D
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2015 - 02:32
Are American picture books and novels like the Berenstain Bears, Clifford, Little House series, Magic Treehouse, Cam Jansen, Boxcar Children, etc. easily available in bookstores? I'm trying to sort out the essentials from our home library to bring with us... and books weigh a lot! How about books by David Macaulay?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 August 2015 - 21:17
Any new experiences with this? My husband is flying to Dubai a week before me and the kids to start his new job and iqama process and look for a flat. The kids and I are planning to fly to join him on US passports (as visitors) and then convert our visitor status to permanent residence when it's possible, because we need to get there asap to register in schools. Can we enter with one-way tickets or do we need proof of a flight out?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2015 - 00:21
awoosha have you stuck with Dar al Marefa? My first kid is probably the same age as yours and we're in the process of moving to Dubai. I'd really like to hear how the school has been for your family.
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 July 2015 - 00:13
Did you switch to Dar al Marefa, Mariana? I'd love to hear any more experiences anyone has had or heard of!
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 20:00
by the way Aicha, if I do live in Mirdif, I would be happy to help you with tajweed and understanding Qur'aan.. I have been helping my Dutch friend in Egypt with that for several months and it's fun for both of us :)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 19:58
We are pretty sure that we want to be in Mirdif, after considering a lot of Dubailand options.. it seems to have a more active community life with mosques and schools, right?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 19:49
I don't live in Bahrain, but I want to help you see this as an opportunity :) So many Egyptians never get the chance to live on their own, both men and women! And it's a great chance to "find yourself," explore your own interests, etc. If you don't have a car, how do you get to work? Can you find any nearby women's gym to attend group classes, or a masjid to attend any halaqahs? I wish you the best, hopefully you can find a nice group of friends :)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 19:46
I have to differ with the above poster who said that you can't teach colloquial Arabic - because of course you can :) It's just that Arabs typically think it's "slang" and not worthy of being studied as a language, but it's a fully viable vernacular unto itself. There are textbooks teaching conversational Arabic for many of the major dialects (particularly Egyptian of course, but also Gulf, Palestinian, etc) that are very well-written, and I think they should be used instead of MSA for casual learners of Arabic -- like expat children and adults living in Arab countries -- who would prefer to begin understanding and communicating with the people around them rather than with books. At the same time, Arabs and long-term students of Arabic don't feel that there's a huge divide between classical/MSA/colloquials to the extent of seeing them as separate languages, since there are so many commonalities between their grammar and vocabulary. The translation between MSA and colloquials is very predictable. That's why a pre-school Arab kid who only speaks a dialect can sit watching a cartoon in the formal language and understand much/most of it -- and cartoons actually play a great role in improving native Arab children's vocabulary and comprehension of literary Arabic. So even as a TV hater, I don't mind letting my bilingual kids watch cartoons in Arabic (for educational purposes - honestly!).. I actually think they pick up more of the formal expression from cartoons than from their Arabic syllabus! The main problem of Arabic instruction is that it's very teacher-centered and not communicative, not so much which "type" of Arabic is taught.
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 19:22
Oh okay great - I'm arriving in a few weeks so I don't know the options :)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 17:10
I wonder, why are they usually done after Asr? I guess a lot of women stay home and it's easier to go when the kids are at school. Any morning options?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 14:17
Definitely 3! Government employees get 4.. it's a 4-day holiday in Islam (Eid al Adha + the 3 following days, which is why it's called the Eid al Kabeer)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 14:13
Did any of you do the GEMS training and have any feedback about it? Do you need to be employed by GEMS to pursue it? I have a bachelor's degree in elementary education but am not currently credentialed/qualified and haven't worked in a few years since I was staying home with my young kids - I'd like to find the best strategy for getting back into the market and getting my bearings in general about being a teacher-mom! I wonder if applying to be a teacher assistant for my first year back would be the best transition so I don't have a lot of work to take home - what is that like, and how does it pay?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 11:36
Don't forget, a lot of those places deliver! (including Gourmet) - always consider that option or using a service like Mashaweer to save yourself so much time, money, and stress by going yourself! I would also check groceries like Zahran and Carrefour that carry a lot of imported products.
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 11:34
If you have a Western degree, you can join the Cairo Scholars mailing list (google it) which is a great place to ask questions and get a feel for how people live there. I've lived in Alex for 5 years which is much more of a backwater than Cairo in terms of places to live and good school options - in Cairo I would live in Maadi or the eastern suburban/satellite city of Rehab, since New Cairo is comparatively driveable (and there are also a ton of schools there). But since traffic is so horrible, where you live will really depend on your work location or you will all regret it :)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 11:18
Great ideas, AdventurerB! I really look forward to exploring your recommendations :)
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 11:00
By the way, here's the link for Dar alMarefa: http://daralmarefa.ae/en I came across the "New Indian Model School" a few days ago that seems to be run by and serving Indian Muslims with a religious atmosphere, and it has a preschool Montessori program and is SO cheap. Why is that?
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 July 2015 - 10:51
Blueunicorn, are the teachers at those schools mostly non-Muslim foreigners? I heard recently that there is a lot of rudeness to and from teachers at the School of Research Science because they're all non-Muslim westerners teaching basically all Muslim Arabs (majority Emirati) -- like a culture clash. Has anyone else heard that? This article also mentioned a very clear split in the school population, as opposed to schools like SCS/Dar alMarefa/Mawakeb that have a lot of Arab teachers: http://whichschooladvisor.com/review_article/school-of-research-science/ "The school is very popular with local families, with over 6 out of 10 students studying at the school Emiratis. The remainder come largely from Arabic families. Located in Al Qusais there are currently 2,047 boys and girls aged from 3 to 18 (up 20% from the previous year, and over one-third in two years) studying at the school. In the message from the founder, an emphasis is placed on the fact that this is an Arabic/Islamic school – not so much in language or curriculum, but in the roots of those studying at the school. As a result, it “is concerned with preserving the heritage of our culture, its language, its literature, history and especially its Islamic tradition.” It aims to mould a “future Islamic generation who will be creative, independent thinkers, able to adapt their knowledge and skills to the changing needs of this technological age.” So while the core curriculum is quite traditionally Western, based on the National Curriculum for England and Wales, it sits alongside an “Islamic ethos, designed to “develop our students into young men and women, proud and understanding of their own culture but conversant and sympathetic to that which is best in Western ideas and culture.” .. There are currently 167 teachers (up 30 over the last year), “all appropriately qualified” according to the KHDA, at the school. The majority of teachers are from the UK or Ireland. Interestingly, a look at the senior leadership team and board of governers really shows evidence of that split between a Western focused curricula, within an Arab and Islamic context. Functional curriculum experts are clearly drawn from the United Kingdom, while the board of governors, which will provide the school’s direction and context, largely Arab and UAE based."
UmmSalah
172
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 July 2015 - 03:18
Out of curiosity, what did you end up choosing? :) LuLee, the new Dubai branch of SCS seems to be opening in Fall 2016 in Nad al Sheba (neighboring International City)
 
 
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