January, February, March 2014

As I was happy to be home and returning back to school, something was haunting me.  Let me go back before I left for the my American Adventure of December 2013.

       So you would think that I have been through enough, but you don't even know what was underlying all the rest of this issue.  Before I left for the break, the school landed a bombshell on me saying that I had to pay my own accommodation.  Now, in America, that is not a big deal, but as an expat, all of us know that as a teacher, most schools have to either provide accommodation allowance or in most cases accommodation. 

 

I told the school, "No, you promised when you brought me to Dubai that my accommodation would be provided, and you have thus provided it since July 2013, what is the change?  They said there was a change in policy and that I would pay my accommodation without giving me an allowance and they would reimburse me.  I told them, "This is unacceptable!  You are still shorting me my accommodation allowance, or my salary of almost $1,000 a month-if I accept these terms, which I will not accept."  I said, "Now I will go to America and enjoy my vacation, which I deserve, and when I get back I will expect this issue to be resolved."



 

Okay so now I get back in January 2014, and I run to the office the first week of school to ask them did they resolve this issue.  The accountant says, "There is still no approval."  I told them this was okay, knowing we were just back from break, but that I would check next week.  Every week of January, at the end of each week, they told me the same thing.

 

In February, I had now a month and a half, before they would withdraw 10,000 dirhams from my bank account without paying me accommodation allowance in order to have those funds withdrawn. So, again every weekend before going home on Thursday night (Weekends in the Middle East are Friday and Saturday) I would ask the same question, "Has the issue been resolved?"  They had said no, that we will check on Sunday. 

 

So, I go in on Sunday, the last week of February-funds are supposed to be withdrawn on March 15, 2013- and ask again this same question.  Of course I add a little bit, "I need a bank statement of all the payments you have made me for my lawyer and my accountant, as I have to get my taxes prepared."  I wanted to put a little pressure on them.  They said to me, they will be ready on Sunday, and they should have my housing situation approved. I said I will come in on Sunday for sure and it better be approved or there will be problems for both the school and myself.

 

So the weekend passed and I asked again on Sunday.  They said, "No, housing was not approved!"  

 

I said, "What?  This is not acceptable!  How do you expect me to come up with 10,000 dirhams by March 15?  You have not paid any of my accommodation allowance.  The accountant had said he was sorry for the inconvenience.  I was dumbfounded!  I told them this is not fair and it is unacceptable.  You wait to tell me this the end of February?  What are you crazy?  You expect me to pay my whole salary just for the rent?  I will not!  I am going to the Ministry of Education!"

 

So, the next day, I went to the Ministry of Education-They deal strictly with public schools.  Then I went to the KHDA-Which is a branch of M of E, but for private schools.  KHDA told me that this issue was not a "school complaint" but a "contract complaint" that I needed to go to the Ministry of Labor.  So I drove all the way back to the Ministry of Labor to find that the offices had closed.  The very next day, I marched back in there and told them the situation.  They called the school and set up a hearing date, for the next day.

 

The school sent the KG Supervisor, to attend to the matter.  I was able to get my checks cancelled, so that no money was withdrawn, and that I had only until the end of March to vacate my apartment or pay a penalty at the school.  At the end of April 2014, I would receive my accommodation allowance. 

 

I feel I got the "short end of the stick" as the hearing was all in Arabic and even asking for a translator, the legal authority replied, "Sorry this is an Arabic speaking country, you will have to wait for me to translate for you."

 

So, I moved out the end of March 2014, without a home, as I could not afford anything in Dubai.  Plus it was spring break for two weeks and everything was expensive.  I lived in my car for one week sleeping at ENOC and ADNOC petrol stations with my car.  I would swim at Jumeirah Beach, shower and clean myself at the Masjids at the petrol stations, and eat and sleep and go the bathroom at the 24-hour petrol stations.

 

I could not ask any family for money, after what happened at Christmas, so I decided to do that for the 2 weeks, trying to also look for places to stay.  What happened next?  Tomorrow I will try to finish this story.  For now, it is midnight here and time to go to bed.  I have work in the morning. Good Night My Readers of Mimi's Memoirs!