I experienced my first camel race at the beginning of February with my friends Mariam, Marisol, and Andrea. We went with an ex-pat group. Camel racing was nothing like what I expected-I thought it would be just like horse racing but with camels. The camels run 5K races though, so it's not done on a small track but throughout the desert. Bunches of followers in SUVs follow the camels around and it's videotaped so that the majority of spectators watch from inside a camel racing room. You can see below wha this looked like, complete with video! The camels were very fast (5 km in just over five minutes!) and so cute, it was fun to watch.
I spent five days in Abu Dhabi this month with two other teachers attending an International Baccelaureate conference about teaching their Primary Years Program. I've been a PYP teacher for a year and a half now, but I learned sooooooooo much at this workhsop. It was incredibly well organized and really refreshing to get so many new ideas in such a short amount of time. The school that hosted the conference was also very impressive, and it was fun to get together with other international teachers and compare experiences. I was also able to spend time with my good friend Kristin who lives in Abu Dhabi, including a yummy Mexican Valentine's Day dinner.
The most recent big change in my life is a haircut! Since I turn 26 on Sunday I decided it was time to chop off some of the hair I've been growing out for the last four years. Below you can see before and after pictures of the big event.
Life continues to be busy but good here. We hit 90 degrees fahrenheit today, so I know summer and summer weather are right around the corner! I'm going to Paris next week for our Liberation and National Day weekends with my friend Andrea, so I'm really excited for that, and then my friend Laurel is visiting in March. There's lots to look forward to, especially summer break, which doesn't feel too far away now! Hope all is well with all of you.
