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jdmkleini am still absorbing the conference. So little time, so much to do, so many people to try to pump for information.
i got to the hotel and in my room around 10 pm. It had been a very long day. i was in the office by 9, meeting at 10:15, class at 2:00. Master came to pick Daniel and i up about 3:30 and take us to the airport. We left His car on campus and took emerson. Daniel's plane left about 30 minutes before mine so i had a bit of a wait in the airport, but that's not a problem, i enjoy watching people.
The plane left nearly ontime. Arrived almost on time. Important note: Americans do not need a visa to visit Dubai. At least Americans who are living in the GCC and have resident visas for the country in which they are living. But my travel agent didn't know that. He soon will. That lack of information cost me 45 min. of wandering around in the airport trying to find a place to get said not needed visa.
i exchanged money at the airport. i have no idea how much i had. i changed euros to dirhams. The euros were left over from Germany, and at one time had been kuwaiti dinars. It was like playing with monopoly money all weekend. I got my ride to the motel, right across the street from the airport, but not a walking trip.
My room had a fruit basket waiting for me, and room service breakfast was no extra charge, actually no room service meal had an extra charge. i was on the ground floor, and had a nice private patio with two chairs. i got ready for bed and tried to sleep. i don't sleep well in a strange bed without Master.
Thursday i was up and at the conference site early. i had to check in, pay for the conference and pay the membership fee to TESOLArabia. Then i went to the plenary session, and one presentation every hour until lunch. TESOLArabia had a presenter's lunch on Thursday in the hotel's Thai restaurant. It was amazingly good. After lunch we divided up the afternoon presentations so that neither of us saw the same thing, and went to the end. The closing session for the day was at 5:30. i got back to the hotel about 7.
i had just gotten comfortable and ordered room service when Michael called and wanted to know if i was up for dinner with him. i asked him to give me 10 minutes to get dressed and told him if he wanted, i would share my sandwich with him and we could have a couple of beers and yak the night away. He did, and stayed until nearly 10. About 9 Daniel called and i invited him to my room too, to meet Michael. They yakked a bit and Daniel left about 9:45.
Friday morning i was again at the conference site by 8. The plenary speaker was someone i knew. His presentation was good, and i intend to incorporate some of his ideas into my class. Daniel and i had planned not to go to the session at 9:30 because we wanted to do a last minute prep for our workshop at 10:30. We didn't get as much done as i would have liked, because we got to talking with the new TESOLArabia President about getting something going here in Kuwait. She, in turn, gave us a contact in Kuwait who is very active in the TESOLArabia chapter.
Our time was supposed to be 10:30 to 11:30 but Thursday night we were informed it was being shortened to 45 minutes. We had that all worked out. We were a bit nervous when there were only 4 people in a room that would comfortably seat 100 by 10:25. And then the flood gates opened. We didn't have 100 people, but we had made handouts for 75, and we ran out. i don't want to sound biased, ok, well, maybe i do, but that's beside the point. i do think ours was the best i had seen. We had engaged the audience, and gotten them involved with each other as well as with us. The question period at the end ran over into the restrooms because they were so curious and excited about what we are doing in our classes. We were stoked, to put it mildly.
Unfortunately we weren't able to stay after our presentation. Daniel's plane left at 3:00 and mine at 3:45. Daniel called Master as soon as he got in so Master could come and pick us up. My flight was supposed to land about 10 minutes after Daniel's. i think it did, but i had to stand in line at passport control for nearly 45 minutes. By the time i got through, Master had been waiting over an hour.
We took Daniel home, his wife and boys were stading on the corner waiting forhim. It was such a nice thing to see. We came home, Master had dinner almost all ready. We ate out on the patio and talked about my trip. He mentioned again how it pleases Him to hear me in 'full researcher' mode. He was very interested in how our presentation went.
Despite the fact that i am so happy to be back 'home',to be sleeping in my Master's bed, and really being able to sleep, i do believe i am going to the TESOLArabia website and find out when the conference is next year. And book a ticket and a hotel room. i plan on going again.
Oh, And can anyone tell me why i can spend 10 days in Germany in the dead of winter and not get sick, but two nights in Dubai, a country whose climate is very similar to Kuwait's with the exception of humidity, make me sick as a dog? i have a sore throat, tightness in my chest so that it hurts when i cough, and my voice sounds like 100 meters of extra grit sandpaper.
i got to the hotel and in my room around 10 pm. It had been a very long day. i was in the office by 9, meeting at 10:15, class at 2:00. Master came to pick Daniel and i up about 3:30 and take us to the airport. We left His car on campus and took emerson. Daniel's plane left about 30 minutes before mine so i had a bit of a wait in the airport, but that's not a problem, i enjoy watching people.
The plane left nearly ontime. Arrived almost on time. Important note: Americans do not need a visa to visit Dubai. At least Americans who are living in the GCC and have resident visas for the country in which they are living. But my travel agent didn't know that. He soon will. That lack of information cost me 45 min. of wandering around in the airport trying to find a place to get said not needed visa.
i exchanged money at the airport. i have no idea how much i had. i changed euros to dirhams. The euros were left over from Germany, and at one time had been kuwaiti dinars. It was like playing with monopoly money all weekend. I got my ride to the motel, right across the street from the airport, but not a walking trip.
My room had a fruit basket waiting for me, and room service breakfast was no extra charge, actually no room service meal had an extra charge. i was on the ground floor, and had a nice private patio with two chairs. i got ready for bed and tried to sleep. i don't sleep well in a strange bed without Master.
Thursday i was up and at the conference site early. i had to check in, pay for the conference and pay the membership fee to TESOLArabia. Then i went to the plenary session, and one presentation every hour until lunch. TESOLArabia had a presenter's lunch on Thursday in the hotel's Thai restaurant. It was amazingly good. After lunch we divided up the afternoon presentations so that neither of us saw the same thing, and went to the end. The closing session for the day was at 5:30. i got back to the hotel about 7.
i had just gotten comfortable and ordered room service when Michael called and wanted to know if i was up for dinner with him. i asked him to give me 10 minutes to get dressed and told him if he wanted, i would share my sandwich with him and we could have a couple of beers and yak the night away. He did, and stayed until nearly 10. About 9 Daniel called and i invited him to my room too, to meet Michael. They yakked a bit and Daniel left about 9:45.
Friday morning i was again at the conference site by 8. The plenary speaker was someone i knew. His presentation was good, and i intend to incorporate some of his ideas into my class. Daniel and i had planned not to go to the session at 9:30 because we wanted to do a last minute prep for our workshop at 10:30. We didn't get as much done as i would have liked, because we got to talking with the new TESOLArabia President about getting something going here in Kuwait. She, in turn, gave us a contact in Kuwait who is very active in the TESOLArabia chapter.
Our time was supposed to be 10:30 to 11:30 but Thursday night we were informed it was being shortened to 45 minutes. We had that all worked out. We were a bit nervous when there were only 4 people in a room that would comfortably seat 100 by 10:25. And then the flood gates opened. We didn't have 100 people, but we had made handouts for 75, and we ran out. i don't want to sound biased, ok, well, maybe i do, but that's beside the point. i do think ours was the best i had seen. We had engaged the audience, and gotten them involved with each other as well as with us. The question period at the end ran over into the restrooms because they were so curious and excited about what we are doing in our classes. We were stoked, to put it mildly.
Unfortunately we weren't able to stay after our presentation. Daniel's plane left at 3:00 and mine at 3:45. Daniel called Master as soon as he got in so Master could come and pick us up. My flight was supposed to land about 10 minutes after Daniel's. i think it did, but i had to stand in line at passport control for nearly 45 minutes. By the time i got through, Master had been waiting over an hour.
We took Daniel home, his wife and boys were stading on the corner waiting forhim. It was such a nice thing to see. We came home, Master had dinner almost all ready. We ate out on the patio and talked about my trip. He mentioned again how it pleases Him to hear me in 'full researcher' mode. He was very interested in how our presentation went.
Despite the fact that i am so happy to be back 'home',to be sleeping in my Master's bed, and really being able to sleep, i do believe i am going to the TESOLArabia website and find out when the conference is next year. And book a ticket and a hotel room. i plan on going again.
Oh, And can anyone tell me why i can spend 10 days in Germany in the dead of winter and not get sick, but two nights in Dubai, a country whose climate is very similar to Kuwait's with the exception of humidity, make me sick as a dog? i have a sore throat, tightness in my chest so that it hurts when i cough, and my voice sounds like 100 meters of extra grit sandpaper.
