A year has come and gone and I find myself in a whole new country and a new setting. I now live in the UAE, Sharjah to be precise. I like it here, all the horror stories I had heard about living here turned out to be nonsense. Don't get me wrong, life here is a bit different than the U.S. or India. But once I got over the culture shock, it turned out to be very nice. Much safer for women than either the U.S. or India, basically no crime at all. There are people of nearly every race and religion all getting along, at least in public..

 I am still teaching English as a second language. Only now I am teaching at a nursery school in the mornings and do private tuition in the evenings. While both can be a challenge, I really enjoy it. Working with children is very rewarding and I find that I don't feel as lonely. I think that has to do with all the love that children give so easily. It is like having 150 grandchildren that I see nearly every day. I also get my share of adult company as well between the nursery staff and my private students.

I am also taking myself back to school thanks to the many brilliant MOOCs  (massive open online courses). I have a great time learning this way and have earned several certificates and diplomas in the past 16 months. I take everything from art, business, genetics, history, even a terrorism, counter terrorism course. My favorite sites are Alison.com, Coursera and Udmey. I preach the benefits of these sites to all my students and anyone else I can.

All in all, life is pretty good now. I live an a great part of Sharjah, near the Art Museum, Art Center and the Knowledge Village. I have a couple of awesome friends who include me in loads of activities and drag me away from the computer on a regular basis..What more could a Gal ask for..