Wow! I will be embarking upon my journey to the UAE with my family in a matter of months. My husband, my two-year old daughter and I will share this amazing new journey together. This is a dream come true. When I was in college, I wanted to study abroad but my mother passed away, which left me with the responsibility of helping my dad with my then teenaged ‘baby’ sister. I am feeling really honored for such an opportunity. I grew up in a neighborhood in Houston called Trinity Gardens, at one point, it was not the best place to live. It was filled with gang-related activity and drugs. However, my parents instilled the word of God, integrity, and values into my sisters and me.
I feel blessed and humbled. Since I started this journey, I have been fortunate to connect with some great people. I had my phone interview back in September 2013 and my in person interview was held here in Houston February 7, 2014. I experienced so many different emotions. I was extremely nervous, excited and happy. My emotions were wrapped into one big bundle!
Two men interviewed me in the initial stages in order to confirm my years of experience. Let’s just say that they were VERY thorough. There were so many questions that I was asked. Some included, differentiation, how I would implement technology in the classroom, what my classroom would look like and classroom management strategies.
I answered all the questions with confidence and to the best of my ability. At the end of the interview, I was told that it seemed like I had what they were looking for. They also said that it seemed like I was flexible based on my experience and examples. I was relieved.
After the interview the waiting game began. I was a bit anxious as to whether or not I had been recommended to ADEC. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long. I received my letter stating that I had been recommended a mere week after my interview. This was followed a short time after by my offer letter, which included my contract. I signed it two days later. I was not anxious; we had run out of toner in our printer….
Who would have thought this little girl from Trinity Gardens would be on her way to such an amazing journey?
My husband and I wanted to do back flips but instead we just danced around. Our journey had already started but now we were officially on our way!
About PreSha Barnes
PreSha Barnes has been an educator for the past seven (7) years and will be embarking on her journey with her family to the UAE in August, 2014. She enjoys teaching but what really makes her tick is writing and sharing her work with others.
