Maids and gardeners

Today I'm going to tell you about the new experience we have encountered the last 2 weeks, with a gardener and a live-in maid. Something completely new to a Swedish person with a normal income. In Sweden I was happy and felt very fortunate to have a cleaner once every two weeks, sponsored partly by Jon's company. Otherwise it would have been very expensive. The fact that I'm home all day and have a need for a maid and gardener may seem slightly snobbish, depending on how you see it, but really I can explain...

When we first moved into our house, people came knocking on the door every day, asking if we needed a maid or gardener. With very few trees and flowers, I really couldn't see the need and a maid seemed very strange to me. Could I really have a maid in the house all day? And what would she do all day? After everything I had heard about these poor maids from the Philipines, leaving children and husband to come here to work, I didn't really want to encourage this kind of society.
Then one day Chaturi showed up, she lived on our street but needed a new family to live in. She was from Sri Lanka, only 20 and didn't know much English. Her auntie came with her to explain the situation but I said no, we don't need a maid.
Another week went by, and I found myself mopping the floors everyday, because of the sand and dust that seems to be a constant bother. And the girls running in and out barefoot, from the pool or the park. And all the floors are white tiles, so every little foot mark shows. And if you don't clean the floors, you get other inhabitants....ants.
After another week, I met Chaturi again, and then I said ok, we do need someone to clean the house a few hours a week. She was happy to do it, so I tried to make up a time-table for her. After another few days, the weather got hotter and I had to bring James out in the heat to go to school twice a day. And Isabelle was having a fit now and then as I picked her up or took her there. I was breaking out in sweats too often...and poor James. Then we'd come home and I had to help Emma with homework. And Isabelle wanted to go to the park, but I didn't really want her going there by herself. Even though it's close. It's not like they have friends everywhere, as in Lidingö, and I don't know alla the parents. And actually, the park is just full of maids and kids. No parents...So, I gave up...I do need a maid or I'm going to go crazy.
I like to think of Chaturi as an aupair, not a maid. She is kind of doing the same thing as I did in London, when I was 19. So I kind of now what she is thinking. Although, of course, we come from completely different backgrounds. And she is a much better cleaner than I was. And cook! She has cooked us Indian meals twice. Amazing! We could get spoilt. So now she comes in every morning to take care of James and help us with breakfast. Then she comes back in the afternoons when I go to school again, and the she helps me until Jon comes home. It's great and the girls really like her. She has her own room, with her own door, it's called a maidsroom. She has a fridge and cooker and she seems very happy, so I'm glad. This summer she is going home to Sri lanka, cause her auntie is getting married, and her mother is having an operation...her father cut off two of her mother's fingers when he was drunk...what do you say to that...
And about the gardener, she we have one now, it's so cheap I couldn't resist. But he only comes twice a week, the rest I have to do. Maybe I'll do it all myself eventually. The thing is, the hotter it gets, the more watering and looking after it takes. And what will we do in summer when we are not here? Everything will die.
Right, It's time to head of to coffee morning with expat mums and babies, for James sake
of course. They do have nice scones though...
Here is a link I found on the web, showing the exact street we live in!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgd02K2ce2k
I'll try to put some more pictures in this afternoon.

Anna

School

Easter holidays is over, we had a great time, and the girls were very upset when grandad and grandma had to go home to Sweden. Isabelle especially, she ran down the road after the taxi, crying, naked. When I finally got her in the house, she was hysterical and kept hitting me, saying that it was all my fault that we were in Dubai and that she wanted to go back to Sweden, to her nursery and her friends. Did I feel rotten or not... After a long time she calmed down and we could talk about it together. She finds school hard and doesn't know how to talk to the other children. So, now it's time to talk about school. A subject that has been taking over my life the last few weeks, leaving me no peace and rest. Also the reason why we are now getting a live-in maid, but that's another story.

After months of looking for schools, and applying to them online in Sweden, the girls got a place each after only 2 weeks in Dubai, in Dubai American Academy. A very well-recommended school with great reputation. We couldn't believe out luck! 2 siblings were going back to the states, in exactly the right classes. Great for us and obviously great for the school, who would get more money so late in the year. Because everything costs money, the schools especially. Dubai American Academy, A GEMS language school, is private like every other school in Dubai, and more expensive than many. They are renowned for their great ability to teach international kids English, so we accepted straight away.

Emma liked her class from day one, they were all being nice to her, giving her stickers and saying how beautiful she was (it doesn't take more when you are 7). They get stickers for everything here, some educational idea that actually works, I must admit. They get a sticker in their book or on their t-shirt if they have done something good, as a reward, and with my girls it works. I have said that we can do the same thing at home if they want, so everytime they finish a homework or their meal, they get a sticker. Sometimes it's enough to draw a happy face in their book, bless them.

Because yes, they get homework, both of them, Emma lots, Isabelle a little. I feel sorry for Emma sometimes, because she has just learnt to read properly in Swedish and now she has to start all over again in English. And English isn't easy to write and read. Talking and listening is no problem, she is doing more than fantastic, but reading is hard...She gets a big homework package every week, as well as extra English words and reading. They also have extra English classes on Saturday morning 9-11! There wasn't any places left on weekdays, so they have to go Saturdays. Luckily there has been no classes for 3 weeks because of Easter, beacuse they don't really like that...who can blame them...

I had a talk with Emma's teacher the other day, saying that we can't manage all the stuff she has to do, and she was fine actually. She said some of the homework is optional (!) If I had known that I would have been less stressed...She said to focus on Emma's reading and writing, not maths or science. And she also said that Emmas was an angel in class...just had to mention that. The thing is Emma really likes school, and I would hate for her to change her attitude to learning because of too much homework. And her teacher agrees.

Isabelle gets a few things to do at home, like practicing to write numbers and letters. And we have to read to her every week, books that she takes home from the school library in easy English. It's really good actually. She only has school between 8-12, then it's day care (dagis) until 2.30. But it is still very much controlled play, even if they play. Like they have a certain craft or project that they do at day care as well. No as much 'free play' as she is used to, not so many toys to play with. When I asked her what she misses about her day care in Sweden, she said, my friends and 'geggamoja' - mud. Well, she won't get much mud to play in here....hopefully we'll get some rain and mud in Sweden in summer.

So, apart from all the homework, there are always things going on in school, God forbid if I forgot to read a newsletter! There is always short notice, like next Wednesday, bring green T-shirt, next Monday, bring money for pizza day, next week, beachday, bring suncream, towels...etc. You see what I mean. I have no freetime. And then they have to have clean and ironed uniforms every day, and a snckpack and a lunchbag and a waterbottle. I spend a fortune on trying to get healthy food that they will eat in school. Emma can heat leftovers in a microwave, Isabelle has to have a cold lunch. I don't like it, but you have to adapt to it. They also get a lot of sweets in school, which I don't like, it also seems to be part of the reward system here. I try not to think about it too much, but I know that other parents have been forcing the question, so that things will change. On sports day this year, the kids got a sandwich and an orange, last year they got a sugery doughnut and sweets. So definitely an improvement.

Apart from that, they seem to have great teachers and so many facilities and material and extra help-teachers. It's what you pay for, I guess. It sure has kept me busy the last few weeks, though. Today, Isabelle was shing with pride when she took her spring project to school, a big drawing of a life cycle of a butterfly, with paint and paper tissue and glue and all sorts. And no tears. That makes it all worth it.

Mormor and Morfar in Dubai

Finally it was time for Swedish grandma and grandad to visit Dubai. Bliss! Some help at last!! And finally some real holiday for me and Jon as well. No more visits to IKEA, car garages or early school mornings. Easter holidays basically.

It was wonderful to see mum and dad again and the girls were thrilled to show them everything. I had been reading up on some typical tourist things that I wanted to experience and now was the time to have some fun. I decided to book us all a dessert tour with driving in the dessert, camel riding, beduin tents and belly dancing. A typical tourist trap, but it was fantastic! I wont write too much this time, I'll let the pictures talk for themselves. We all thought we would die after five minutes of dessert driving, but we got use to it after a while, or I'm not sure mum did, but we all enjoyed it.

We also had time for a lot of swimming and playing in the pool and the sea. The Jumeirah Beach is great for big waves and a lot of sun, not a palm tree in sight. A bit too much sun actually. But the girls found lots of sea shells and were very happy. Whilst swimming in the sea, someone washed my car for the bargain price of 28 swedish kr. And driving home from the sea takes about 15 minutes. Not a bad life.

In the background of the pool you can see our house, so you could say that we live pretty close to the pool area.

Have a great Easter !!

The Kielys