Happenings Around Here

Hello everyone. If you haven't forgotten, this blog and Tyler Beal still exist! I apologize to all my faithful readers for the lack of updates, but there have been a number of problems here, not the least of which is that the internet I was promised in my apartment is far less reliable and speedy than I would have hoped.

But that can't take all the blame for my lack of communication, as I've been struggling to adjust to things here and haven't found the energy lately to write much. This new job is really consuming a lot more of my energy than I had anticipated.

Some things here have been difficult, but some things have been pretty good as well. All the teachers I work with have been pretty decent folks. I've also gotten to know some kids that I like in some of my classes.

But I'm not really doing much besides working and going to the gym. I work, hope I have enough time and energy left to get my butt to Al-Islah fitness center, and then go to sleep. I haven't been working out as much as I used to though. On the weekends I usually go out to eat or to a party with the other teachers, but I'm not doing much beyond that.



Some recent events in my life include:

1. Paintball with several of my students one night. Running around in a field at night with a facemask and a gun sounds like fun right? Not when you've got seventh graders who would like nothing more than to shoot you with painful little balls of fluorescent goo! Seriously though, I had a good time with several of my students at a paintball place. Lots of fun. Now if these welts would just go away.

2. My school is insane. Most of my students are Kuwaiti, but I've got kids from Lebanon, Syria, India, Korea, Canada, the USA, Pakistan, Egypt etc, etc. After years in orderly Japan where Middle School runs like clockwork for the most part, I'm now riding the waves of chaos, anarchy, and just plain nuttiness that comes with the American variety.

3. My school recently had their annual "Ramadan Around the World" fund-raiser. Actually it was over a month ago, but I never got around to blogging it! Each grade was responsible for putting on a big production of food, crafts, and well a big shindig from different Muslim countries. I spent the entire time dreading it, but I actually had a good time. The seventh grade did a big thing for Morocco. Some of my students' parents made couscous and some other dishes. Pretty tasty as I recall.

4. I'm busy planning a vacation to Egypt for the Christmas/Winter holidays. I really want to go diving, but I'm afraid it will be far too cold. Perhaps another time. I'm going to see the desert at least. We'll see.

Last but not least, here's a couple pictures from the top of my Apartment Building. The big blue building is my school, Universal American School.

I'm going to update more often now, I PROMISE!