Transportation

It is easy to get around MZ without a car. The school provides a bus that transports faculty to and from the housing complexes with a short stop at the mall every afternoon on the way home. There is a comprehensive bus system and taxis are inexpensive and can be contacted easily.

Large passenger buses travel between MZ and the main city of Abu Dhabi 3 times daily. The fare is about $2 for that trip. Smaller mini-van type taxis also shuttle more frequently than the large buses between MZ and Abu Dhabi. Fare for a one-way trip to Abu Dhabi is 15 AED, which equals $4.09. The shuttle taxi drops you off at the main taxi station in Abu Dhabi from where you can take connecting buses or city taxis to all destinations within the city. Taxis are regulated by the government so fares are set and non-negotiable, however taxis are cheap compared to those in western metropolitan areas and preferable to having to figure out the bus routes. If you master the bus routes, however, nothing is cheaper than the buses. Rental cars are available but faculty must get their Emirates ID and Abu Dhabi driver's license prior to being able to rent a car and that takes at least a month. Abu Dhabi has reciprocal agreements with most western countries, allowing westerners to just show their foreign driving licenses and thus qualify to receive an Abu Dhabi license without taking any kind of driving or written test. Although lots of people complain about the traffic and driving in Abu Dhabi, that is relative. For a big city, I find it quite subdued and well-managed, although parking is not easy to find. If you've ever driven New York City, the LA freeways, Cairo or Beirut, just to name a few, then driving in Abu Dhabi will look like child's play to you.

Cars are available for purchase and banks finance easily, with low rates. However, they will not finance for longer than your contract runs, which is 3 years.

A number of Glenelg teachers already have a car, also, and most are more than happy to accommodate passengers who want to share the gas. As you would expect, gas is cheap here so driving back and forth to the main city of Abu Dhabi is not a financial concern. I have a 2011 Toyota Corrolla and a full tank of gas costs $19.

(pics of transportation options here)

Living in Madinat Zayed

Madinat Zayed is a small city and is the capital of the western region. It is an hour and a half drive from the main city of Abu Dhabi to the town of Madinat Zayed. You travel west along the coastal highway for about an hour and then turn south and drive another half hour inland. MZ is not far from the southern border of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, along the leading edge of the Rub Al Khali, the world's largest sand desert, which is also the border with Saudi Arabia.  The western region, collectively known as "Al Gharbia" is the ancestral origin of the Emirati people and the traditional culture and heritage is still widely practiced and proudly preserved in this area. Camel racing, horse racing and falcon hunting are popular and competitions are frequent. Traditionally an agricultural and camel farming area, MZ has recently been the site of many large industrial projects and there is rapid growth and expansion occurring in the region. Much of the oil produced by the emirate comes from the western region.

MZ, like most small towns, has all the basic necessities, but lacks the cosmopolitan nightlife, museums and huge malls of the main city. MZ does have the following:

Two hospitals and two medical clinics
Two supermarkets
A small mall with clothing stores, shoe stores, a children's store, miscellaneous specialty stores and a small food court
Western food chain outlets (Popeye's Chicken, Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut)
A fresh fish market and fresh fruit and vegetable market
A 5-star resort hotel (Tilal Liwa Hotel)
Many large, well-maintained public gardens and parks
Banks and various other locally owned stores (office supplies, cell phone stores, hardware, appliances, etc..)
A post office

(photos of MZ to insert here)







Teachers live in rented housing provided by the school. Glenelg School in MZ has rentals in three different complexes, all within 3-5 driving distance to the school.

(photos of teacher housing to insert here)

Teaching at Glenelg School

Glenelg School of Abu Dhabi has 3 campuses, one in the main city of Abu Dhabi, one in Ruwais, an ADNOC industrial compound on the far western coast of Abu Dhabi and its third and newest campus is the one in Madinat Zayed. Our campus was opened to 650 students in grades PreK3 -grade 5. Next year (2012-2013) we open our middle school by graduating our 5th graders to 6th grade. One grade level will be added each year until we reach 12th grade. The campus consists of the elementary school, PreK3-grade 5 in the center of the campus and the middle/high school for the males on one side of us and the females on the other side. All schools have sports facilities, aquatic centers and an auditorium.

The curriculum is American-based, meaning we use the Common Core standards where they have been adopted and then use nationally recognized USA standards for other subjects until Common Core standards can be written in all subject levels. We teach the Ministry of Education standards for the Arabic/Islamic curriculum. Class size maximizes at 25 students per class with teaching assistants in all grade levels. Classes are gender segregated beginning at grade 3. Special Needs teachers and ESL teachers help support students with learning challenges. The school has a clearly defined and communicated discipline policy and teachers are supported in their discipline efforts by discipline supervisors, counselors and a Dean of Students.

All classrooms are equipped with Prometheum interactive boards. The school also has two computer labs, two science labs and a fully stocked library. Students in all grade levels participate in special area classes such as PE, Art, Music, and Computer, as well as a full slate of extra-curricular activities after school.

Teachers are highly qualified and all teachers of core academic subjects in English must be native speakers of the English language. The majority of the English speaking teachers are American but there is strong representation from the UK, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia as well.  Arabic and Islamic classes are taught by highly qualified teachers from various Arab nations.

(Photos of school to come)

Welcome to Al Gharbia

Assalamu alaikum (standard greeting....means "peace be with you.")

I set up this blog to provide more information to people who are planning or moving to the western region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, known out here as Al Gharbia. Disclaimers first....all of my living experience has been in the city of Madinat Zayed, the capital of the western region. Also, my work experience has been with a private school, not a public school, so bear that in mind when comparing your circumstances to mine. Still, there's very little information on the internet about life in this region so the more we can post, the more helpful it will be. If you don't find your answers here, please send me any questions and I'll try to address them as well as I can.