Grade Souk

The Arabic word for market is "souk". So we have a lot of souks over here. The Gold Souk, the Spice Souk, the Electronics Souk, the Carpet Souk, the Perfume Souk, and even the Camel Souk.

We also have something the professors at the school derisively refer to as the "Grade Souk". It's official University policy that professors must schedule office hours after finals have been given and after grades have been posted - 'consultation hours' is what they're officially called. It's intended to be an opportunity for students to stop by and see how they did on their final exam and/or final projects for the course. The thing you need to know, though, is that given that it's a part of the culture here to negotiate on things, the 'consultation hours' are actually a Grade Souk.
Both Cindy and I have had several students come by trying to negotiate a better grade on their final, on their attendance grade, on the course, or just looking for a little "help" from me. Now this still happens in the States, it's just not quite so overt. Here are a few of the best stories from the Grade Souk.

[As you read these, please keep in mind that most of our students are very conscietious and diligent - and most of them didn't ask for any favors. These are the most extreme - and funny - cases. I could tell stories like this from Texas Tech, too.]

Female Student 1: But professor - I was here on these two days that you've counted me absent. I just forgot to sign in.
Dr. Baker: Really? Everyone on your row signed in. Your friend that you come to class with every day signed in. Twenty other people signed in that day. If you were there, how did you miss the sign-in sheet?
Female Student 1: I just know I was there.
Dr. Baker: OK - so do you have some evidence that you were there? Did we take exams those days? Do you have some notes that you took that day?
Female Student 1: I turned in my homework that day! I know I turned in my homework then!
Dr. Baker: Really? The days you're asking me about are both Thursdays. We haven't had a single homework assignment due on a Thursday all semester. Try again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Male Student 1: Sir - I was really hoping that you could help me out in the course. I was really hoping to pass the course this semester.
Dr. Baker: You missed 19 classes and didn't turn in 7 of 12 homework assignments. You should have helped yourself.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Male Student 2: Sir - I was wondering what I can do to pass the course.
Dr. Baker: [looking over grade spreadsheet] Well, right now, your average in the class is a 56. You would need a 105 on the final exam to pass the class with a 70.
Male Student 2: So it's possible and you would help me out?
Dr. Baker: It's possible, but given that your grade on the midterm was a 56, and given that this is a comprehensive final, it seems unlikely that you'll get a 105.
Male Student 2: But you can help me with my grade?
Dr. Baker: I'm going to help you out by giving you some advice. If I were in your position, I would concentrate other classes where I have a better chance of passing. Good luck.

I hope you enjoyed reading about some of our stories from the Grade Souk. Stay tuned this weekend (or maybe early next week) for info on how we spent the holidays.

Missing, Presumed Lost - Part II

by Cindy


We had an earlier post about the things we thought we might miss. Here is a top 10 for some of things that we really do miss:


1. Kitchen garbage disposal.
2. Changing weather. The fall cool, crisp weather and the sweatshirts that go with it to cold winter nights and snow flurries.
3. Being able to wear shorts.
4. Going to Austin for a UT home game.
5. Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks (we have Starbucks but not their seasonal drinks).
6. Talking college football with everyone on Sunday & Monday mornings.
7. All the trees in Lubbock. Really.
8. A 15 minute drive to church and a five minute drive to the grocery store.
9. Carpet.
10. The Christmas season and all that goes with it.


As for the thing that we thought we would miss and we don't: Tex-Mex - there are so many restaurants here, including On The Border and Chili's. We can have American food any time we want it, there are more restaurants here than in Lubbock and thankfully, the queso and fajitas taste the same!

Devoleped vs. Developing

by Cindy

There is much debate about the difference between a developed and a developing country. Some countries, such as the USA are obviously developed countries but then there are others, such as the UAE, that walk the fine line between the two. Surprisingly, there is no established convention for the designation of "developed" and "developing" countries in the United Nations (UN) system. The UN notes that, "the designations 'developed' and 'developing' are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process."

On one level it seems strange to me that we cannot tell the difference between the two and do not have any international standard that defines one or the other. On the other hand, when I drive down the 16 lane highway (yes, eight lanes each direction) the UAE seems quite developed. But when I see this on the 16 lane highway, I feel like I live in a developing country!

What is the guy doing? Would we have to pay blood money if one of these sheep jumped out and was killed? Don't they know that people drive 140km (86mph) on the highway?

Kenyan Safari - The Big 5

The phrase Big Five game was coined by big game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris.

We were able to to see four of the big five with the leopard being the one that we didn't see.

Lion

African Elephant

Cape Buffalo

Hippopotamus

It’s Raining? It’s Raining!

by Cindy

It has been sprinkling here on and off over the weekend but today it is time to go back to work and it is really raining. A decent number of our students commute so it will be interesting to see how many people are actually in class today.

My biggest fear today is the combination of rain and marble surfaces. Early on, I mentioned on the blog that I was going to have to put away the stilettos due to the wet marble in the bathrooms. As it turns out, I had nothing to fear in the bathroom.

I have slipped twice since we have been here. On a side note, both slips were on the same day(?!) which was the day following our all night football watching party. The first slip was outside of our apartment and (importantly) no one saw that one. The next slip was in the business school and (importantly) everyone saw that one. My ankle and knee are still bruised but my pride will be bruised for at least the next four years. Thankfully, college students churn every four years so one day this fall will move out of the “Top 5 Most Embarrassing Moments” in my life. Hopefully today I do not have a fall that tops the Most Embarrassing List. Assuming I don't slip today, I will enjoy the rain while it lasts.

How We Got Here

OK - so the question that Cindy and I have been asked the most frequently since we decided to move to the UAE is, "How did you hear about the job?"

Here's the full story.

During the fall of 2008, as I was getting close to graduation, Cindy and I decided that we were willing to move for me to take a job pretty much anywhere in the world - as long as I could teach in English. We've always wanted to live abroad and travel a little bit, and this seemed like a good time. We don't have any kids; our parents are in good health, so why not?

So we started looking at jobs in the US and the outposts of the former British Empire. I applied to schools in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, and Hong Kong. There were only about 60 jobs available worldwide for MIS professors, and there were about 300 or so Ph.D. graduates in MIS last year. When you add to that the reality that some people who are already working as professors are applying for those jobs, the odds don't look great. Then there was the financial crisis in late 2008, and most schools saw revenues and government funding decrease. As a result, many of the schools to which I applied chose not to fill their positions. So of my 50 applications, I got 6 preliminary interviews, and then nothing. Christmas break came and went and there wasn't much activity at schools with regard to hiring. Most people get offers in January or February, and things weren't looking good. At this point, I had to acknowledge that I needed a new strategy.

So I started in on a new round of applications - this time applying literally anywhere people spoke English. Cindy and I pulled lists of colleges from around the globe and as long as they had an English website, I applied. This approach only netted about 20 more schools - mostly in the Middle East. One Saturday afternoon in January, Cindy and I were sitting at Starbucks lamenting my poor job prospects. I was sending out some e-mails to follow up on my applications and after I sent a message out to the University of the United Arab Emirates (in Al Ain, UAE), I laughed and said, "If we move to the UAE, can I even get a decent cup of coffee there?" So I got on the Starbucks website to see if they even had Starbucks in the UAE. It turns out that they do - lots of 'em - and I noticed that one of them was even on a college campus. I said, "I've never heard of the American University of Sharjah, but if they have a Starbucks, they've got to be OK. Let's see if they've got a job."

They did. In the Business School. In MIS. I applied. Immediately.

I got a call from their Dean the next day. "We're interviewing North American candidates next weekend in San Francisco. Can you come out for an interview?" So I flew out and interviewed. The school called me back about two weeks later and offered me the position and I took it.

But there's more.

None of this would have happened if our friends Todd and Jess hadn't stayed with us in Lubbock about 3 years ago. Cindy and I used to make fun of Todd and Jess as "those people" who spend $5 on fancy coffee at Starbucks. Then, when they were staying at our house for about a week, they started bringing us drinks. About one a day. Apiece. White Chocolate Mochas and Caramel Macchiatos and Toffee Nut Lattes. Starter drugs.

Our descent was gradual. At first we only went when we had a gift card. Then, it was "only when we really needed coffee." You know the rest of the story. We ended up hooked. We're coffee snobs now. We're still not one-a-day people, but we're definitely helping Starbucks stock price.

And so if I'd never picked up my Starbucks habit, I would never have needed to know if there was good coffee in the UAE. And I never would have heard about the American University of Sharjah.

Here's a picture of me, Cindy, and our friend Todd - in Starbucks on campus - when he came to visit us two weeks ago. I hope you enjoyed the story.