Authentication

The offer letter has been signed and returned, what's next? Next, is sending lots of documents and waiting for those documents to be processed.

The first part in this process is authenticating documents. All that means is I have to prove that the documents I'm sending are true and real documents. I have to send my teaching license, degree, and marriage license. If we had kids we'd have to send each birth certificate. Each document must be notarized and then sent to the Secretary of State in DC and then sent to the UAE. This entire process is said to take 14 days if you choose to use ProEx. So, I wanted to jump on this as soon as possible. I was contacted by Proex which is a courier service that will take care of everything for a fee. The only thing they suggested I do was get my marriage license authenticated because if I didn't I would have to send it to them, then they send it to the Secretary of State in Raleigh which in turn will send it back to Proex for them to send to the UAE. I decided to authenticate my own marriage license...

Begin an adventure:

I told my Dad I needed to go to Raleigh to take care of some paperwork and he was thrilled to go. My Dad and I got up early and were on the road around 6:00am. We arrived in Raleigh around 8:45am. The Secretary of State's office is 2 South Salisbury St. (That's for anyone who wants to get documents authenticated in NC.) We walked to the counter and I gave the lady the completed cover letter which can be found here and an original copy of my marriage license. The authentication process costs $10.00 and can be only be paid with cash in exact change or a cashier's check. We paid the fee and were told we could pick them back up at 3:00pm. If we would have arrived after 10:00am we would have had to pick them up the next business day.

Then this question hit us: What do we do for 7 hours? First on our agenda was breakfast. My Dad eats the same breakfast everyday and he was not about to change his routine because we were in Raleigh. We went to Denny's and ate. As we ate my Dad asked me to look and see what was nearby. I listed a few places and his eyes lit up when I said JCPenney's. So to JCPenney's!

We walked around aimlessly. Neither of us needed anything so we just browsed. Dad decided he'd like to look at shoes even though he needs a 3E wide shoe or bigger. These shoes are hardly ever in big chain stores but to our surprise they had a 4E wide shoe in his size and he was thrilled. JCPenney's has a Buy 1, Get 1 50% off sale so he asked me if I wanted a pair of shoes. I'm not one to turn down shoes, free shoes at that, so I began to scour the rows of shoes looking for a pair that would be comfortable for me to wear in the UAE. Daddy paid for our shoes and we were on our way.

We sat in the car and he said, "Ok what can we do now? Can you find us a bowling alley or something to do?"

I found a bowling alley and Dad was satisfied. We Googled directions and we found ourselves in a bowling alley that was filled with high school students on a field trip. We had to wait for a lane but while we waited we played in the arcade. I tried to conquer Ms. Pac Man and Dad tried to conquer the Wheel of Fortune Pinball Machine. A lane opened up as the high schoolers were leaving so we began what would be 4 games of bowling with Dad dominating every game. I did however improve each game. After bowling Dad decided he'd like to walk around a Mall. We went to the North Hills Mall but it was actually just stores and boutiques. We decided to walk around anyway and we found ourselves in Target. Again, we had no purpose so we just perused and talked. After walking Dad said let's get a sandwich before we head back to pick up your paperwork. We walked to McAlister's Deli, ate, and got back in the car headed back to the Secretary of State to pick up my now authenticated marriage license.

We parked, walked in, I presented the lady with my receipt and she handed me an envelope. She told me to check it before I left. I looked in the envelope and pulled out the documents but I had no idea what I was checking so I just looked for the marriage license and I said I guess this is right and we were on our way back to Charlotte.

My next task that I just finished was to email my Proex contact a scanned color copy of my degree and teaching license. I have to send, via US mail, my authenticated Marriage License and pay the many fees. For anyone wanting to know about moving to the UAE and teaching here is a list of all the fees just for documents that I was quoted:

1. DC Notarization and authentication fees $90.00+$53.00 for Marriage License;
2. U.S. Department of State fee of $16.00;
3. Embassy of UAE fee of $90.00;
4. ProEx Delivery Corporation service fee of $155.00;
5. Scan fee (optional) $10.00;
6. FedEx return shipping fee $25.00 (continental USA only

Thank God I Ubered during CIAA so now I have a little change to go towards these many fees.

I was able to get the paperwork ball rolling and spend some quality time with my Dad. I'd say that today goes in the #Winning category.

I've added some pictures of our adventure and the authentication paper below.

Remember to Be Uniquely You and Be Kind to One Another! Until next time...

4th Game Bowling Score 

Daddy at Pinball

Authentication Certificate

In the meantime Part I

One thing is for sure, moving to another country is very adventurous but the process to getting there is quite lengthy. While waiting for my "Golden ticket" (my departure plane ticket and itinerary) I have decided to make lasting memories with my family and friends.

This post is about the memories I have made with some friends this past week.

2 of my closest friends and I have started working out every Tuesday. One of them is a workout enthusiast and she trains others. As soon as she publishes her blog, I will provide the link. I hope she reads this and it puts a little fire under her to publish her blog. 😀  She has not only lost weight but maintained the weight loss. She definitely is an inspiration and her body is a true testament that if you stick with your plan and are disciplined you can attain all of your body weight goals. Needless to say I'm super proud to call her a close friend.

While I'm talking about my friends that I'm making memories with, my other close friend is a Super Mom. If I wanted to be a Mom, I'd definitely want to be like her but since I don't want to be a Mom I'll tell you about her in hopes it inspires you to be a better parent. She has 2 girls and they are so articulate and well mannered. One is school age while the other is preschool age. Instead of sending her to a daycare or letting her just play all day at home she works with her preschool age daughter. Her daughter is reading sight words, goes to gymnastics, does school work and unlike many kids who stay at home with a parent she is social. Yeah, I think my friend is awesome and I'm so proud of her!

Well this past weekend was the CIAA Tournament. That's where all of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) converge onto Charlotte for a basketball tournament. Usually I'd be with my friends that I just bragged about but I decided to spend time with another friend who I just recently became close to. She and I work together and she is super smart and knowledgeable. In my mind she has it all together and I am so happy and honored she accepted my friend request in real life. I hope she knows how great she is and I believe there is nothing but greatness in her future!

Anyway, she invited me to a day party with her friends and I decided to go. Well, I had an awesome time. We danced, we laughed, we danced some more and laughed some more and it was a great night!

I am so excited about making these memories. The last memory I'll share is this. I have 2 AMAZING Dance Sisters. These ladies have helped me to shape my dance company - Unique Performing Arts Christian Company. They have had my back as I have tried to build and grow a Christian Dance Company. One of them has decided to create her own business. Once she has everything up and running I'll post a link, hint...hint. 😉  Well, I am hiring her to plan my going away party so we met after my dance class to talk logistics and we Skype called my other dance sister who wasn't in town. Even though we are Dance Sisters she was so professional and heard all of my wants and ensured me she'd take care of everything. She is ambitious and I want nothing but the best for her and her business endeavors. She doesn't know this but I guess she'll know now but she inspires me to be a better businesswoman. She pushes me and I appreciate that because we all can use a push every now and then.

As I said we Skype called my other Dance Sister because she is my Right Hand however she considers me her Left Hand. I don't understand that but there is a lot about her I don't understand. 😜  I digress. She has faced so many obstacles and she continues to strive to Be Great. Even though I am older than she is, I look up to her because the confidence that she exudes is amazing.

So, I challenge each and every one of you to make memories with those you love. You may not be moving 7375 miles away but your next day is not promised. You don't have to spend money and be out in the streets. Skype call or take a walk but make lasting memories that you can cherish as long as you live.

Please believe that I will be sharing the lasting memories I make before I leave the USA.

Enjoy the pics!

Remember...Be Uniquely You and Please Be Kind to One Another!

Now What?

In the last post, I talked about how I was so excited that I got an offer letter. What I didn't say in all of my excitement was how the years of experience that was reflected on the offer letter was only 6 years. If you recall, in the 1st post (click here to read the 1st post), that I said I had been in education for 9 years. So, I was missing 3 years from my experience and if you know anything about education, experience, and salary you know they are all tied together. So, less years means less money. Now, the money I'm being offered is definitely more than what I'm currently making but I wanted to be paid for all of my years in the trenches.

I reached out to my recruiter and told him my experience was wrong. He immediately responded and told me that I'd needed to send my license from 2008 to get credit for those missing 3 years. I went to where I thought my documents would be but that initial license was not there. I began to panic and then I thought about options. I sent an email to the North Carolina Department of Instruction but decided to give them a call for a quicker answer. The lady I talked to said they don't keep licenses that long ago in their archives. I wanted to say, "Ma'am 2008 is only 9 years ago why are you using words like archives." I didn't say that but took her advice to call my district licensure department. I called them and they said the same thing. So, now what? Do I sign and take the 6 years with a little bit lower pay or do I try to find a way to get credit for all 9 years?

My answer...I try to find another way.

I went on the North Carolina Department of Instruction website, logged in, and sent my recruiter a screenshot of the log that showed when my license was first issued. He worked his recruiter magic and not only did he get my experience added he got my monthly salary increased even more than the amount he quoted me on our initial call.

Needless to say as soon as that offer letter hit my email, I hit print, signed it, and scanned it right back to him with no hesitation.

The next step is authenticating documents. That should be a doozy...😁

So as always Be Uniquely You and remember to Be Kind to One Another!

Good News!

My interview was 6 days ago. These past 6 days have gone by pretty fast. I looked online before I interviewed to get an idea of when I'd get an offer letter. Some people said they got their letters the next day, some said 2 days, some said 1 week, some said they had to wait 1 month. I was hoping to be on the shorter end of waiting.

February 20 is a Teacher Workday which means no school for us. I don't turn my alarms off because I often forget to turn them back on so I left my alarm on. 5:00AM came and my alarm went off. I turned my alarm off and my lock screen showed that I had 2 emails. I never get emails so I decided to open my phone and see what the emails were. The subject line that woke me up was:

ADEC Offer Letter!!

If I wasn't woke from the alarm that subject line woke me up. I quickly read through the email and then attempted to wake up my husband who is my best friend and now my travel partner and told him  even though he was sleep. He heard me, woke up, and said, "Well there it is then!"

I gave him a hug and immediately called the one person who was waiting on this news a little more than me, My Dad. He had no reason to be up this early but I knew he'd answer my phone call and sure enough he did.

I said, "Dad, I got the job!"

He said, "For real?"

I said, "Yeah, Dad, I got the job!"

He said, "I am so happy and proud. Thank you Jesus!" We talked briefly and I told him I'd call him later on in the day.

So in a nutshell I get to take my talents to the UAE. That's right, we're moving to the UAE!

I am too thrilled to begin this journey and I know it's going to be so rewarding! So, I'm going back to sleep. I wanted to write while my emotions were still running high. 😀

I'll see you all next time.

Be Uniquely You and remember to Be kind to one another.''

Part II - Unexpectedly

After writing the first part I went back to sleep.

A little nugget about me: My Mom died in 2014 and she was my best friend. She was the person I told all of my deepest darkest secrets. She was the one I played with when I had no friends around to play with. She was my biggest supporter!

She was in the dream I had when I went back to sleep. Her being in my dream has happened before but for her to be in my dream after getting this news was quite overwhelming.

The Dream:

I was coming out of this auditorium place and she was in a van in the drivers seat. My Dad was in the passenger seat and my 2 brothers were in the back seat. I came to the window and said, "Dad, I got the job!"

He said, "I know you called and told me."

I replied, "Yeah, I text my brothers but I don't know why I didn't call Mom. I don't know why I didn't call her."

My mom smiled at me and nodded and it was like old times. Often times when she was alive she'd smile at me and just nod her head. I kept asking her why didn't I call you. Did I try to call and your phone wasn't working or was off the hook. Why didn't I call? All she did was smile and nod and it was like she was there in the flesh.

Once I woke up and reflected on that dream tears began to fall because even though my number 1 supporter is not physically here she still comes to me in my dreams to let me know she approves.

Before she died she told me we shouldn't talk to the dead but today I disobeyed her and said:

"Mom, look at me now. I just want to make you proud in all I do. Thanks for visiting and I miss you. Love You, Best Friend!"

ADEC Interview

The day I've been waiting on for the last month was here, February 14, 2017. I researched all of the interview questions Google had to offer. I reviewed the dress code over and over and had decided to make my own blazer and skirt. (Did I mention that I sew? #UniqueSews - Ok Shamless plug...)I finished them off at 1:54am on February 14, 2017 and I had planned to run to the bed and quickly go to sleep.

I woke up early enough to shower, get dressed, and pack a bag of snacks and water that I would not even eat while I waited for my turn to interview.

Once I arrived at the Embassy Suites in Concord and just like my Seek Teachers Recruiter had told me all of the teacher candidates from all of the Recruiting Agencies went into a room where we were briefed on the Abu Dhabi Educational Council (ADEC) policies. From there we were then herded into a different area where we waited to be called.

I sat at my table and talked and laughed with other candidates. Some of the other candidates at my table and I connected on Facebook because we realized that we could very well be on this adventure together. We also tossed around questions and created "the best" answers that we could. One by one the other candidates from my table were called and I remained at the table trying to calm my nerves.

Finally...finally...my name was called. I waited outside the interview room and then my recruiter introduced me to the panel and I sat down and it began. Staring at me through a computer screen was a man and a woman. My heart was beating so fast. What would they ask? Would I know the answer? Do they have heavy accents? Then one of them spoke, an African American man with no accent, and said, "Hey, Janelle. We're a little out of order so we're going to take a look at your documents." I said, "Sure, take your time." All the while thinking whew give me a few more minutes to get myself and my thoughts together. And then it began. He said, "We're going to ask you some questions. We hope our technology continues to work correctly." The following are the questions I was asked.

• Are you flexible?
• Why do you want to move to the UAE?
• How would you teach writing?
• What would your Middle School Classroom look like? What are students doing? What is the teacher doing?
• What have you gone to learn and brought back to your classroom? How did it go?
• If your Head of Department did not know their job description or micromanaged you how would you respond?

I honestly think the interview went well. Once I finished the interview, I went to find my recruiter and he told me about next steps. He told me that another country interviewed yesterday and they all found out today if they received jobs or not. So, more waiting. If nothing else this experience has taught me patience and I'm absolutely okay with that.

So remember to Be Uniquely You and in the words of my Birthday Twin and BFF (in my mind) Ellen DeGeneres "Be Kind to one another."

See you after the offer!

Once Upon a Time...

Where do I begin?

Well I am currently in education. I have always wanted to be a teacher since I was 3. I taught for 4 years and was promoted twice and all of this happened at the same school. That's right, 9 years at the SAME SCHOOL. I absolutely love my school but I feel like it's time for a change and a challenge.

Fast forward to January 2017. I decided I wanted to take my talents abroad, specifically the UAE. I have always wanted to teach abroad and through Facebook I am able to see that some of my former colleagues and friends from high school are doing exactly what I want to do so I said to myself, "Self, reach out to your friend and ask about the process." My friend was so excited to help and she was great with information. She sent me the name of her recruiter and I reached out to him and within an hour he asked for my resume. The ball was now rolling. I sent my resume and then I heard nothing. Was I not good enough? Had I been out of the actual classroom too long? So, I reached back out to him just to say I was checking in. He emailed me back and said, "Call me as soon as you wake up because of the time difference." He also sent me an email with paperwork that needed to be completed in 48 hours! (My friend was so great she had already sent me a lot of it and I had worked on it in anticipation and expectation that he would send me the paperwork.) He called and asked me why do I want to go to the UAE, he verified my experience, and then told me that I'd be a good fit for a new IB project. He also explained the teaching package and all of the benefits. If I wasn't sold before I sent the first email I was definitely gung-ho now!

I sent back all of the paperwork and he sent me an Excel Spreadsheet called a Masterloader to complete directly after that. He then sent me the interview date and location that he spoke about on our initial call. Thank Goodness I don't have to travel as it is my current city, Charlotte, NC.

So, here I am waiting for my interview date. And from what I have heard there will be a lot of waiting to come but I'm okay with that because I'm Unique and I'm ready for a challenge and I know my process will be unique to me and I am okay with that. Thanks for reading and remember it's okay to Be Uniquely You! See you after the interview!