Wednesday 22nd April 2009
Well .... fanfare please because I have just finished .... my FIRST FULL WEEK OF TEACHING PROPER!
That makes it over four months between the last lesson I had in Krakow on Friday December 12th 2008 (in the morning) and the first one I did on Saturday 18th April 2009 (first one also in the morning). It is the second longest period (summer times excluded) that I have gone “between classrooms”. No, I am not counting those two lessons I did with the class of Saudi female nurses because, to me, they were just cover lessons. What counts for me is the period between two sets of classes that were exclusively MINE.
Anyway, enough blah-blahs. What you want to know is HOW WAS IT? And especially so after my gloomy forecasts and predictions. And even MORE so after all I have been told about these soldier boy classes and their nightmare statuses.
Well, I'm glad to say that the answer to this is NOT SO BAD! The morning walk over there is not too hot (yet!). And I and the other teacher who I go over there with are still able to go home for lunch when we're done. The teachers' block is on the way when we are coming back from finish time. So why go all the way to the hospital canteen when it is MUCH better to go home, take a proper rest and enjoy a bit of peace.
Peace? Thought you said you liked the canteen food? Well, I DO! But, got to be practical here. In this ever-increasing heat that we are experiencing here, you want to do as little open-air walking as possible. And the walk over to the canteen is just, “A Bridge Too Far”, and .... well, I know you can learn to walk over hot coals without burning yourself but I haven't any idea how to apply this to the “Saudi Sun”.
OK, so what are the students like and how am I coping? As I said, they seem OK as people. As students? Well, yes they are lacking language-wise and they don't retain much of what I do with them and don't have the disciplines that a good student has to stick to. I mean things like they most likely don't look at what we do in the lessons at any time OUTSIDE lesson time. But they need to get into good habits. After all, from September they will become students-proper and will be included in the more regular nurses and medics course in the main building. Perhaps that is something I can work on too.
The main thing is that they are not anti-teacher. And I think their motivation is OK in most cases. They are a mixture of levels from the very low level ones who haven't much sense of the language and probably haven't seen much of the ELT classroom. And it goes up to the ones whose general vocabulary is quite acceptable for an elementary-level student but who are not quite good enough to communicate in full-enough sentences. Not ones which are always grammatically correct anyway. But they are perfectly able to communicate what they want most of the time and they seem to understand what I, the teacher, ask of them. Again, in most cases they obviously HAVE been in an English language classroom somewhere along the line and are aware of the things we make students do like drilling, gap-filling, taking basic notes (though not THAT many do this!)
The problems that I am likely to face most are those of lack of readily available materials to supplement the rather thin books that we are to use with them. As you may recall, the books we have been given are ones made for classes of 7 or 8 year old children. Nice big pictures, very little on each page, nice and slow, nice and easy pace for those poor little kids.
But these are men. Yes, perhaps they are not the most disciplined students I will ever come across in my TEFL life. But they are not the emptyheads that we were led to believe.
I would say that, out of the twelve students that I have seen this week, there are four or maybe five who genuinely ARE weak and/or shy and/or not very self-confident in their language ability. But I have seen no evidence of students who “don't want to be there” amongst that small group.
As I see it, so long as I can keep “jollying them along” and keep them going for most of the time, then all will be OK. What is required is what I do most of the time with most of the students I have and have ever had. And that is to keep an eye on things that come up in lessons that either need more work or interests shown which can be exploited OR to bring in more material on a topic or topics just covered which is 'relevant'. Hehe, but what do I mean by “relevant”? Ahh well .... this is the art of being a teacher, you see. “Relevant” can mean you take a thing as far as it will go without getting ridiculous. Stretch a topic, go off on as many tangents as you feasibly can, and, of COURSE apply the “Three R's Of TEFL” at all times.
“The Three R's?”, you say quizzically. Ahh, yes my friends! Nothing to do with what you did in school! MY three R's of TEFL are .... REPEAT! REVISE! REMIND!
And plenty of it too! And as often as you can get away with!
Now to the books. Well, predictably the students didn't have them yet, and very likely won't have them till next week. Well, that is definitely so since it is the week end now. But the books themselves present another problem – they are not likely to last much more than a month at best, and then there is the cost to the students. Normally this would not be an issue, but since one book set is going to last around a month and they cost money, then this is an excuse for students to delay getting them.
So why use this “baby book” at all, you ask? Well, the problem with English language coursebooks here is simply one of availability. It is no good saying, “Yes, Book X is a good book to use”, if you cannot get that book in this country. The old problem of distribution! Every school has it that I have ever worked in. And students have to buy the books THEMSELVES. Yes, that is normally the case, but it could be made easier for them too.
This week has been mostly supplementation. That is because the students don't have the books yet. In some ways it's OK because it pads the whole thing out a bit more. But it also means I have to think a lot harder! However, as problems go, this is NOT the type of problem that causes as much worry and stress as, for example, sitting around waiting for something-or-nothing to happen. I'd rather have it THIS way thanks! Now at least the way through things is under MY control rather than Those On High.
Four 50-minute lessons a day is a lot for anyone. Couple THAT with doing it five days a week and packing all those four lessons into the morning means that the day gets pretty tiring for them as well as me. Three lesson periods, OK, but the FOURTH one is quite an effort to pull off effectively. There are many tired faces by then!
I am a little concerned that I might use up all available supplementary materials too early. After all, we have 18 weeks in all which works out as around four months and ends mid to end August.
Now .... to some observations and a few interesting happenings. First of all, there are far too often interruptions to the lesson by someone or other in uniform knocking on the door to bark some information in to the students. They are short but uninvited. Isn't the end of lesson possible for such things? I guess not.
And secondly to the most intriguing thing that has happened this week. Now, in the first few lessons there was one guy who sits in the front row who always seemed to be the fastest and first to finish any handed-out exercise I gave the class. He seems rather older than the others too. This got me suspicious, and even more so because in the third and fourth lesson periods he is basically sitting there asleep and not taking part at all. I ignore it basically – I'm not his mother and it is up to HIM if he wants to waste his time. Sleeping in class is annoying but not as bad as excessive noise. However, TODAY was different.
Lesson period one .... he comes in twenty minutes late. Now, the way we mark the attendance register here is “Present” or “Absent”. There is no mark for someone who is “Late”. In other words, as we have been instructed, if somebody is “Late” then we must mark that person as “Absent”. And if they then turn up later then TOO BAD!
So in he comes 20 minutes late and I've already marked him absent together with one other guy who is genuinely absent (and the other three absentees who haven't been here all week!). “Where have you been?”, I ask him and his excuse I don't really care for anyway as his sleeping in class doesn't make me like him or want to listen to him much. I tell him I've marked him absent and he pleads with me to take it out. I refuse. He sits down anyway. Lesson period two .... this time he wanders in TEN MINUTES LATE! And STILL he asks he if I can remove his absence, which again I refuse to do.
The long break comes, then it is time for lesson period three. I have just got started, when there is a knock at the door and a smiling Saudi in uniform asks if he can speak to me a moment. I leave the students something to do then go out to speak to him. His face is new to me – he is not the supervisor I have seen before. He says he is (some kind of) student supervisor or welfare advisor or some other thing. Mentions the fact that I have marked this student absent. Yes, I said, since he was twenty minutes and ten minutes late in my lessons so far. Well, this guy says, this student is the 'supervisor' of the two classes and has other duties which he must do as well as attending ....
So please could I NOT MARK HIM AS ABSENT!
As I suspected all along! He is there as supervisor and as monitor! Some of his questions had been a little odd. On the first day (and I don't remember how this topic came up) he asked me if I was a Muslim. I said no, then he asked if I was a Christian. I quickly said that we do not discuss such a topic and he should know why. Another incident occurred when I was doing Rooms Of The House and was onto the Bedroom. Now, perhaps this was asking for it, but as with all the other rooms in the house I asked the students to tell me what we can do there. “You can f**** your wife!”, he said, smiling. “Write it down please!”. No, of course I didn't. There was not much amusement on other students' faces, and nobody joined in his little “joke” (maybe they didn't understand him .... thank goodness!)
He obviously knows more English than the others. On the first two days I had to sign some piece of paper to verify I had been there and had been on time. Why, I have no idea, but it was obviously his role to be there to check up on me, on the class, on the lesson material and on the lessons in general. And to try to trip me up whenever he could, but he failed at THAT!
So .... as you can see, this guy can now do as he pleases and he can wander in any old time he likes and I can do nothing about it. So go ahead! Sleep all lesson for all I care!
Now, I'm advancing things here, but I forgot to say what happened at the very BEGINNING of the week when we turned up at the appointed time (7.30am) ready to get going with LESSON 1 DAY 1. Well, as you can probably guess, NOTHING happened. There were no students and no idea of where they were or when they would come. Other students had mid-term testing on that day but they were not OUR students. When would our classes begin? To me it was obvious that nothing would happen that day at all if the past five weeks was anything to go but. Fortunately I was proved wrong – however, we had to wait until the middle of lesson period 3 (about 8.45am) until FINALLY the classes were ready. Delays Delays Delayzzzzzzz ....
So .... the weekly routine has been established. Go over to the lesson place (a five minute morning walk), do the lessons, go home for lunch, wander back into the office some time after 12.30pm, do the lesson planning for the next day(s) and then go home again. Not bad, is it? Of course, when it gets REALLY hot later on then we will have to make more use of the little bus that runs between this lesson centre and the college. But that will mean no going home for lunch. Still, practicals in the burning heat must be applied. My poor white European skin depends on it!
Next week is a holiday .... but not for myself or the other new teacher. Number One – we can't have one anyway due to the contract's stipulation of “five months till you can have holidays”. And Number Two – these military lessons go on through the holiday period. Well, it is only a holiday period because it is the mid-term break for the regular nursing and medical classes. Most other teachers are going away to various exotic lands for the week. The teachers' staffroom will be open but only with a key that we have borrowed. Well, basically it will be a nice easy week and I won;t be breaking by back much in the afternoon to get to the office and back. Just go home for lunch, take my time, go to the office to do photocopying and then go home again.
It's leisure time .... but not as we know it!
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Friday, 17 April 2009
Trying to look on the Bright Side of Saudi Life! ....
Friday 17th April 2009
I suppose this counts as my last night of freedom .... before I'm fed to the lions that is.
No, no. Now, I've been told that this blog is far too pessimistic (thanks BB!). So I'm going to make this entry as positive as it is possible to do so. And in fact, I CAN make it fairly positive because the weekend trip to town was quite a good one and there are some interesting observations to relate to you all.
You may not know it (and it is not obvious from where I'm living) but I am quite near the sea. The Arabian Gulf to be precise, and if I look across it then there is Iran on the other side .... but not THAT close. Bahrain too is 'in the way' across the causeway. And a little further down is Qatar where they have held the recent Formula 1 grand prix (which, I'm led to believe, was washed out by a rain storm!). Much further down too is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Decided, together with my teaching colleague friend that it would be good to go down to the area of town which is called The Corniche. Well I don't actually think we made it that far. But anyway, taxi ride over with it was just a short stroll across a green area to the coastal part.
“The coastal part”, I say. Well, no, it certainly isn't Bournemouth Promenade, there are no ice cream stalls, definitely no pier, and for SURE no amusement arcades or popcorn stands. In fact, in the part we were in there was no beach at all. There IS a beach area around called 'Half Moon Beach', which is not used so much even by locals. Well, to be fair, it is a taboo thing for Saudis to go on the beach. You might find them NEAR the beach sitting on the green area, but they won't be in shorts and swimming costumes. Just sitting there, and there were a few there under trees just letting the day go by.
But it WAS the sea, and I can at least say I have seen sight of the Arabian Gulf. No ships of any description around. It was actually quite a dusty day and there was a noticeable dust cloud in the distance in a northerly direction. This did start to come in later and dust and sand started blowing around which is always unpleasant.
That 'pleasure' over with, in we went to Starbucks for the obligatory (in my case) ice latte. And a nice piece of chocolate marble cake. We found a table inside (as it was not so pleasant outside) and had a seat. Drinks out, cake on plate, basically everything was at it should always be. “Oh, how I wish I could have more of this sort of thing!”, I said.
However, those were short-lived words. Because, as so often happens in Saudi Arabia, you are never far away from the next Prayer Time. And so it was, and so we had to go out of Starbucks and sit outside in the less pleasant warm conditions. Not hot, but rather uncomfortable. “This is the expat life”, my friend said. Well .... so it is “Life Between Prayer Times” then!
Sat there, finished drinks and cake and across the road to the next place to check out – the row(s) of shops which go behind Tamimi's to the town behind. It seemed an area worth exploring which is, after all, what being in a foreign country is all about! The Joy Of Travel! Well .... isn't it?? And so off we went.
As I said, it wasn't a hot day but one which just saps all the energy out of you with heat combined with some humidity and a fair amount of dust and sand in the air. So wander around we did. Our first 'port of call' was an interesting-looking large shop which is, I suppose, the Saudi equivalent of 'Poundstretcher' that we have in the UK. In other words, a shop full of all sorts of goods at nice, low prices and things that are most likely cheap imports from China and the like. Not necessarily quality, but a good range with prices to match.
I'm not normally a shopper as you know. But I got quite caught up in this. After some time browsing, I came out with some spray cans of Adidas deoderant, an optical mouse for my laptop and some laptop speakers which were cheap (and maybe good, maybe not). Upstairs too were various clothing items – shirts, trousers, some jackets and t-shirts. Basically this was a good shop with a good selection of things and is well worth visiting again. But I don't remember its name though it is a pretty big shop round the back of Tamimi's in Khobar.
So a good start to the browsing wander. On we went to see what else was available. But the rest wasn't nearly so promising. There was a row of fishmonger's, some travel agents, barbers every now and then and LOTS AND LOTS of hardware stores with everything for the DIY enthusiast – well, screws, door handles, drills and the like. Ah, and a mosque of course. At first I thought we'd be yelled at for even being on the same side of the road as the place or for looking at it as we passed. But all that happened was that an Arab man came up behind us giving out booklets in English on Islam. Well, I took one just for the fun of it. Don't think I'll read it. Probably I'll put it with my other souvenirs.
On we went and then came back when all that was to be seen was seen. Back to another nice-looking cafe. And after that hot, humid and dusty walk we sure needed a sit-down and something to drink. So in we went. A nice air-conditioned welcome as always! Yes, they do get THAT right here! Sat down, BBC World on the TV and ordered our coffees – this time I had a Frappuccino. And very nice it was too.
So there we are with drinks and chat when I see a strange sight outside the windowed door. A woman in traditional full black dress with abbaya on came up to one Saudi guy who was sitting outside. At first I thought, “Well, she must be his wife who he'd been waiting for”. But of course that couldn't be since women here can't go out alone. I mean, NEVER! So that was impossible. She asked him something and then came to our cafe where we were. In she came just like that and went to each table to ask the Saudi guys there for ... something. Now, sitting to our right were three Saudi guys in full white smock and red checked headgear. When that woman came through the door, they all stopped talking and turned around REAL QUICK to look at her. It was as if they'd seen a ghost – I don't mean a look of fear but a look at something that was a kind of, “What the HELL is THIS??”.Anyway, she visited each table but didn't come to ours. Even if she HAD, we would not have been able to talk to her. Men and women simply can NOT mix in public and CERTAINLY not foreigners!
So what we witnessed was something that DOES NOT HAPPEN in Saudi Arabia. It cannot and it is prohibited. If this had been Riyadh then who knows WHAT the consequences would have been for that woman. Any religious police around would have dealt with her quite severely! I've never seen those guys yet, and I hope not to.
VERY strange it was! WHAT a thing to see happen!! I suppose she was begging or was desperate in some other way for something she had been deprived of. It is hard to know what she could have wanted or what would have made her try such a risky thing as she did. No, I do not over-dramatise it – this is how it is here.
I went to the toilet. When I came back, I was told that ANOTHER woman had come to the cafe and had done almost the same thing. THIS time though, the table of three Saudi men were much more firm with her and she did not risk coming through the door further.
Drama Drama!!
Into Tamimi's then for the weekly shopping. Was much the same as it always is. I got loads of grapefruit this time as it was so good last week and I ran out too soon. Noticed that there was a Russian couple with two young children in the store. I suppose they were from Aramco as just about all foreigners are in this area. Wondered how the Russian woman felt having to wear the traditional all-over black “dress” that it seems foreign women are expected to wear. Was nice to hear a relatively familiar foreign 'tongue' instead of English and Arabic for a change. So we Brits and the Americans are not the only nationalities here!
Well, back to the compound, and it was after 9pm when we got back. Called it a day. Must say that when we come up to the gates in the taxi, I always get this kind of sinking feeling like we're back in the 'prison'.
Well, that's about all that happened at the weekend. Tomorrow starts the first day of the long run up to August with the military class that I'm NOW going to have. Four x 50minute lessons a day, five days a week. REALLY too much for them and for me!
OK, the optimism is over. So I'll end on a much more familiar pessimistic note. Go on, let me do it! Well the drama HERE is actually WHEN the soldier boys course is going to end.
After lots of time sitting about on my behind doing nothing, it is good to get started I suppose. But I am looking forward to the summer time which I will spend partly in England, partly in Poland with my son and partly on some kind of holiday of my own. I have no wish to be here in Saudi during Ramadan.
But here's the problem which has now come up. Ramadan starts on 22nd August, and therefore that SHOULD mean that the last day with this class should be Wednesday 19th August. And so, on this day, the thing to do would to be flying back to England.
HOWEVER, they have now “kindly” informed us that the military boys course will now go ONE WEEK INTO RAMADAN! This would mean ending something like 26th August.
You know what this will mean? Well, for starters it will mean I get almost NO TIME in August to take my son to Poland. In fact, it wouldn't be worth it as we would have less than a week. So, having kept me waiting FIVE WEEKS doing nothing and with NO INFORMATION, these people now expect that I should lose my valuable and much-needed holiday time with family. That is REALLY NOT GOOD!
I have already told the Head of Department that I am really not happy with this. “Well,” he said, “if we can find a replacement for you during that week then fine but this is unlikely since everyone will be away by this time.”
“And if you insist on taking that time as holiday when you should be working, then I'll be happy to drive you to the airport because that's the way they work around here!”
So, as you see, it seems I have to choose between work/money and family/holiday. What would YOU do??
Not sure about myself. I have had a bad enough time here as it is waiting for things that never happen. And now THIS?? Is this going to happen EVERY HOLIDAY TIME?? It's alright for those guys who have no family back home and nobody waiting for them who is missing them and who they can't wait to see. And it's OK for those guys for who this in Saudi Arabia IS LIFE as opposed to anywhere else. I NEED to have that time away!
However .... after talking to some online friends, I have been persuaded that I need to sit tight. After all, they don't know me yet and if I play this game of 'brinkmanship' too early on then they would have no option but to fire me. Also, I have no means of bargaining with them in a work society which is operated by the military. What they say pretty much GOES .... even though it takes them ages to get it organised.
However, we will see how it goes. If this class is a total nightmare then I might feel in August that enough is enough. I don't want to do that since it is a throw-away of good money. But what IS good money if it doesn't make me happy? Anyone got an answer to that?
I know I have to think once again of the reasons why I am here and that being here is all about 'recovery' and 'growth'. Just like the world economic crisis, I can't let things just fall away. HOWEVER, there is only so much space inside my poor, tired little brain and the Trouble Count is rising all the time.
“It's a hard knock life!”
I suppose this counts as my last night of freedom .... before I'm fed to the lions that is.
No, no. Now, I've been told that this blog is far too pessimistic (thanks BB!). So I'm going to make this entry as positive as it is possible to do so. And in fact, I CAN make it fairly positive because the weekend trip to town was quite a good one and there are some interesting observations to relate to you all.
You may not know it (and it is not obvious from where I'm living) but I am quite near the sea. The Arabian Gulf to be precise, and if I look across it then there is Iran on the other side .... but not THAT close. Bahrain too is 'in the way' across the causeway. And a little further down is Qatar where they have held the recent Formula 1 grand prix (which, I'm led to believe, was washed out by a rain storm!). Much further down too is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Decided, together with my teaching colleague friend that it would be good to go down to the area of town which is called The Corniche. Well I don't actually think we made it that far. But anyway, taxi ride over with it was just a short stroll across a green area to the coastal part.
“The coastal part”, I say. Well, no, it certainly isn't Bournemouth Promenade, there are no ice cream stalls, definitely no pier, and for SURE no amusement arcades or popcorn stands. In fact, in the part we were in there was no beach at all. There IS a beach area around called 'Half Moon Beach', which is not used so much even by locals. Well, to be fair, it is a taboo thing for Saudis to go on the beach. You might find them NEAR the beach sitting on the green area, but they won't be in shorts and swimming costumes. Just sitting there, and there were a few there under trees just letting the day go by.
But it WAS the sea, and I can at least say I have seen sight of the Arabian Gulf. No ships of any description around. It was actually quite a dusty day and there was a noticeable dust cloud in the distance in a northerly direction. This did start to come in later and dust and sand started blowing around which is always unpleasant.
That 'pleasure' over with, in we went to Starbucks for the obligatory (in my case) ice latte. And a nice piece of chocolate marble cake. We found a table inside (as it was not so pleasant outside) and had a seat. Drinks out, cake on plate, basically everything was at it should always be. “Oh, how I wish I could have more of this sort of thing!”, I said.
However, those were short-lived words. Because, as so often happens in Saudi Arabia, you are never far away from the next Prayer Time. And so it was, and so we had to go out of Starbucks and sit outside in the less pleasant warm conditions. Not hot, but rather uncomfortable. “This is the expat life”, my friend said. Well .... so it is “Life Between Prayer Times” then!
Sat there, finished drinks and cake and across the road to the next place to check out – the row(s) of shops which go behind Tamimi's to the town behind. It seemed an area worth exploring which is, after all, what being in a foreign country is all about! The Joy Of Travel! Well .... isn't it?? And so off we went.
As I said, it wasn't a hot day but one which just saps all the energy out of you with heat combined with some humidity and a fair amount of dust and sand in the air. So wander around we did. Our first 'port of call' was an interesting-looking large shop which is, I suppose, the Saudi equivalent of 'Poundstretcher' that we have in the UK. In other words, a shop full of all sorts of goods at nice, low prices and things that are most likely cheap imports from China and the like. Not necessarily quality, but a good range with prices to match.
I'm not normally a shopper as you know. But I got quite caught up in this. After some time browsing, I came out with some spray cans of Adidas deoderant, an optical mouse for my laptop and some laptop speakers which were cheap (and maybe good, maybe not). Upstairs too were various clothing items – shirts, trousers, some jackets and t-shirts. Basically this was a good shop with a good selection of things and is well worth visiting again. But I don't remember its name though it is a pretty big shop round the back of Tamimi's in Khobar.
So a good start to the browsing wander. On we went to see what else was available. But the rest wasn't nearly so promising. There was a row of fishmonger's, some travel agents, barbers every now and then and LOTS AND LOTS of hardware stores with everything for the DIY enthusiast – well, screws, door handles, drills and the like. Ah, and a mosque of course. At first I thought we'd be yelled at for even being on the same side of the road as the place or for looking at it as we passed. But all that happened was that an Arab man came up behind us giving out booklets in English on Islam. Well, I took one just for the fun of it. Don't think I'll read it. Probably I'll put it with my other souvenirs.
On we went and then came back when all that was to be seen was seen. Back to another nice-looking cafe. And after that hot, humid and dusty walk we sure needed a sit-down and something to drink. So in we went. A nice air-conditioned welcome as always! Yes, they do get THAT right here! Sat down, BBC World on the TV and ordered our coffees – this time I had a Frappuccino. And very nice it was too.
So there we are with drinks and chat when I see a strange sight outside the windowed door. A woman in traditional full black dress with abbaya on came up to one Saudi guy who was sitting outside. At first I thought, “Well, she must be his wife who he'd been waiting for”. But of course that couldn't be since women here can't go out alone. I mean, NEVER! So that was impossible. She asked him something and then came to our cafe where we were. In she came just like that and went to each table to ask the Saudi guys there for ... something. Now, sitting to our right were three Saudi guys in full white smock and red checked headgear. When that woman came through the door, they all stopped talking and turned around REAL QUICK to look at her. It was as if they'd seen a ghost – I don't mean a look of fear but a look at something that was a kind of, “What the HELL is THIS??”.Anyway, she visited each table but didn't come to ours. Even if she HAD, we would not have been able to talk to her. Men and women simply can NOT mix in public and CERTAINLY not foreigners!
So what we witnessed was something that DOES NOT HAPPEN in Saudi Arabia. It cannot and it is prohibited. If this had been Riyadh then who knows WHAT the consequences would have been for that woman. Any religious police around would have dealt with her quite severely! I've never seen those guys yet, and I hope not to.
VERY strange it was! WHAT a thing to see happen!! I suppose she was begging or was desperate in some other way for something she had been deprived of. It is hard to know what she could have wanted or what would have made her try such a risky thing as she did. No, I do not over-dramatise it – this is how it is here.
I went to the toilet. When I came back, I was told that ANOTHER woman had come to the cafe and had done almost the same thing. THIS time though, the table of three Saudi men were much more firm with her and she did not risk coming through the door further.
Drama Drama!!
Into Tamimi's then for the weekly shopping. Was much the same as it always is. I got loads of grapefruit this time as it was so good last week and I ran out too soon. Noticed that there was a Russian couple with two young children in the store. I suppose they were from Aramco as just about all foreigners are in this area. Wondered how the Russian woman felt having to wear the traditional all-over black “dress” that it seems foreign women are expected to wear. Was nice to hear a relatively familiar foreign 'tongue' instead of English and Arabic for a change. So we Brits and the Americans are not the only nationalities here!
Well, back to the compound, and it was after 9pm when we got back. Called it a day. Must say that when we come up to the gates in the taxi, I always get this kind of sinking feeling like we're back in the 'prison'.
Well, that's about all that happened at the weekend. Tomorrow starts the first day of the long run up to August with the military class that I'm NOW going to have. Four x 50minute lessons a day, five days a week. REALLY too much for them and for me!
OK, the optimism is over. So I'll end on a much more familiar pessimistic note. Go on, let me do it! Well the drama HERE is actually WHEN the soldier boys course is going to end.
After lots of time sitting about on my behind doing nothing, it is good to get started I suppose. But I am looking forward to the summer time which I will spend partly in England, partly in Poland with my son and partly on some kind of holiday of my own. I have no wish to be here in Saudi during Ramadan.
But here's the problem which has now come up. Ramadan starts on 22nd August, and therefore that SHOULD mean that the last day with this class should be Wednesday 19th August. And so, on this day, the thing to do would to be flying back to England.
HOWEVER, they have now “kindly” informed us that the military boys course will now go ONE WEEK INTO RAMADAN! This would mean ending something like 26th August.
You know what this will mean? Well, for starters it will mean I get almost NO TIME in August to take my son to Poland. In fact, it wouldn't be worth it as we would have less than a week. So, having kept me waiting FIVE WEEKS doing nothing and with NO INFORMATION, these people now expect that I should lose my valuable and much-needed holiday time with family. That is REALLY NOT GOOD!
I have already told the Head of Department that I am really not happy with this. “Well,” he said, “if we can find a replacement for you during that week then fine but this is unlikely since everyone will be away by this time.”
“And if you insist on taking that time as holiday when you should be working, then I'll be happy to drive you to the airport because that's the way they work around here!”
So, as you see, it seems I have to choose between work/money and family/holiday. What would YOU do??
Not sure about myself. I have had a bad enough time here as it is waiting for things that never happen. And now THIS?? Is this going to happen EVERY HOLIDAY TIME?? It's alright for those guys who have no family back home and nobody waiting for them who is missing them and who they can't wait to see. And it's OK for those guys for who this in Saudi Arabia IS LIFE as opposed to anywhere else. I NEED to have that time away!
However .... after talking to some online friends, I have been persuaded that I need to sit tight. After all, they don't know me yet and if I play this game of 'brinkmanship' too early on then they would have no option but to fire me. Also, I have no means of bargaining with them in a work society which is operated by the military. What they say pretty much GOES .... even though it takes them ages to get it organised.
However, we will see how it goes. If this class is a total nightmare then I might feel in August that enough is enough. I don't want to do that since it is a throw-away of good money. But what IS good money if it doesn't make me happy? Anyone got an answer to that?
I know I have to think once again of the reasons why I am here and that being here is all about 'recovery' and 'growth'. Just like the world economic crisis, I can't let things just fall away. HOWEVER, there is only so much space inside my poor, tired little brain and the Trouble Count is rising all the time.
“It's a hard knock life!”
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
A Class, A Class, My Kingdom for a Class .... OK then, have TWENTY!
Tuesday 14th April 2009
Had to write a diary entry today. It is, of course, one month exactly since I arrived in The Kingdom (as most locals or long-standing expats refer to Saudi Arabia as). About this time I had well and truly ended Day 1 and was feeling pretty darn tired after my plane journey plus the infamous up-all-night Dammam Airport farce. What a poor way THAT was to start my time here!
And how have things progressed since then? Well, it's pretty hard to come back from THAT I tell you! But overall I can't say I've had the best month of my life. I have only succeeded in making the first one-third of this year, 2009, the most boring, frustrating and pointless way to have started a year in a very long time.
Positives are hard to find. I've had no classes, no students, I've been bugged by this left ear problem for three out of the four weeks, it's been hot (though not so hot as I'd feared), I've had no internet and my TV picture is fuzzy at the best of times.
Ah HAH!! Now, TWO of the above have shown improvement this week. No, make that three. What?? Do I mean there are positive signs appearing at last? Well ..... err ..... yes in a way there ARE. So come in closer and let me tell you all about it ....
Firstly let's talk shop. No, not the local store, but about the work I do, teaching. Yes, I really AM an English teacher and that really IS the reason I'm here primarily. Though how would you know so far? Well, I do now have news on that. So here we go ....
Two mornings ago the Head of Department came down from one of his (usually fruitless) visits to the College Dean's office with what he called Good News And Bad News. And it went like this. The Good News was that (trumpet sound of fanfare please!) the military class IS FINALLY GOING TO START. The Bad News was that this class would be starting on .... Saturday!
Or was it two sets of Bad News? Frankly I don't see much Good News in that announcement. Well, I suppose now, at LAST, we can get started on the course I've been prepared for since the middle of Week 2. But there was more Bad News with it. This class is NOW to be 20 hours a week instead of 15. In other words, four 50-minute periods a day, five days a week with a break between making it, effectively, two sets of double lessons a day.
I suppose I should be happy. After all, the waiting is over, isn't it? Well, in theory YES, but here's the thing. Firstly, there is no guarantee that the class actually WILL start on Saturday. And even if it does, not every one of the students may turn up on that first day/week. Secondly, this class really isn't one I've been looking forward to because of all the bad things the other teachers have been saying about the soldier boy students in general. On the other hand, perhaps I should just take it easy and not sweat too much to expect too much from them.
What I have learned about the class is this: the idea of it is that it is a kind of foundation course in English language basics to the students before they start at college properly on the medical courses they will go on to. This 'foundation course' will go on up to the start of Ramadan, which starts this year on 22nd August. And we have a syllabus (in the loosest sense of the word) which we are to cover with them. What we do in class will be based on the material in the three coursebooks we are to do. When I say “based on”, I mean that much supplementation will be needed because the books are very thin on the ground (and are actually books intended for very young learners!). Students will be at something like elementary level with some deviation either way. In fact, according to their placement test results, the great majority of them scored WAY BELOW the pass mark of 60 percent. Is this because they REALLY don't have the ability in English or because they can't be bothered to apply themselves? Mostly the latter I think. However, they WILL need to know some English both to START on the medical science courses AND, of course, to continue onwards in their medical science careers in the medical profession. SO there IS a reason for these students to be there. THIS could be crucial as we go along.
From what I have gathered so far, their attention span is going to be very low. At least, that goes as far as their motivation to learn English stands. They WILL talk to you, the teacher about various things but the discipline of applying themselves to learning something is lacking. They are not well-versed in How To Be A Student and will very often come to class totally unprepared without books, pens/pencils or writing paper. Oh, and of course NOT on time!
“Crowd control” is one phrase I've heard. “Baby sitting” is another. “Infants in soldier uniforms” is yet another description that has been around. Nobody has much good to say about teaching this lot.
So it could be a problem. But there is one more. The classrooms are not in the normal college building but in 'classrooms' in and around the area where the military reside. This will mean a hot and very exposed walk every morning and afternoon to and from this place.
Well, the mornings might be slightly more bearable. But once we get to July onwards then this will NOT be the case. Then we will have a problem. There IS a bus that goes to this area from outside the college every morning. Trouble is, that bus is also a five-minute walk away from the blocks where we actually live. So we can fry and burn in one of two ways!
Which would YOU choose? Oh, and having been burnt on the WAY THERE, you get then fried and burnt in the classroom too with this bunch of louts!
And just to rub it in all the more, THIS class four times a day and five days a week will be my ONLY class from Saturday coming to Ramadan time. Approximately 16 to 18 weeks in all. So I will need that holiday VERY badly!!
But let me tell you this – at the start of THIS week the situation was as we have always been. The class STILL had no start date with no indication of WHEN it WOULD start. So, the Head of Department took things into his own hands and gave me one class of female students which I was to have three times a week at 50 minutes a time. Not much, but a start.
Well I had this class on Sunday and I had them today. Yes, for those of you who were not paying attention, my first classes in Saudi Arabia have both been with female students. Yes, you DID read that correctly! WOMEN students in Saudi Arabia. Ah, but this is the Eastern Province and they do things a little different here! A bit more “progressive” you might say (in Saudi terms anyway!), but it is true to say that this IS a very rare thing in this country for women to have any access to education at all. And get this – a story that the Head of Department told me: he said that a few years ago he too had one of the first female student classes. Know how he did it? Well, HE was sitting in a kind of studio with a microphone and loudspeakers and THEY were in another room entirely. He couldn't see them and they couldn't see him! He had his “lesson” to do, and he was able (somehow) to know what was going on as he could hear their replies to his questions. Now, imagine THAT!! A lesson where you don't see the students FACES even!!
Anyway, I didn't do it this way, I was in class and they were veiled. Yes, I could see seventeen students and yes, I had a whiteboard and yes, I had the coursebook to follow with my lesson plan.
So what were they like? Well they were OK! I had what I felt was one quite good lesson and one not so good lesson. Lesson 1 was in a smaller room, but the lesson today was in a much bigger room and I often couldn't hear what was being said. My ear problem meant that I still had only one good ear and one part-ear. And a very small part at that. I often couldn't hear clearly enough what students (even in the FRONT ROW) were saying to me! Was it because of the room size, the veil, the background chatter or something else? Well, I felt I was too much hampered by simply not being able to hear what was being said. And I KNEW that, under normal two-ear hearing, I SHOULD have been able to hear them. I got to the end of that lesson feeling really bad about the ear and that I'd rather wasted their time being not fully 'functional' as a teacher. Not good at all.
So what about the ear problem? Well I'm glad to say that the swelling IS going down and that it is almost back to normal ear size today. But still not perfect. This morning, for example, when I woke up and got out of bed I could hear almost normally 100 percent. But soon after I got to the college and was beginning the day, it was all blocked up again. In fact, it REALLY was blocked up today – so much so that I REALLY had a LOT of difficulty hearing people sitting around me. Why should that be? Even the good ear didn't hear what it should have!
Speaking of the good ear, that too has been giving some cause for concern this week. On Friday and at the start of the week, I woke up with the good ear (right ear) blocked because I had some rather sticky ear wax (I assume) that was sticking the ear closed when I was lying on it during the night. TWO BAD EARS??!! WHAT is going on here?
Well, on Saturday I went to see the ENT doctor (Ear Nose Throat). Oh, I must say something about when I went to make the appointment too. On, I think, Tuesday or Wednesday I went to the hospital to make the appointment, and after much searching (as always) I found the right 'Reception Desk'. Explained my problem to the Saudi man there and said that it really WAS urgent given that I had to work next week. I stressed the word URGENT and thought he's listened. But nope – when I got over the other side to CONFIRM the appointment with the registrar (or whatever this person was), it turned out he'd put my appointment date as 13th JUNE 2009!! Now, it was only the NURSE who saw this, and when she pointed it out to me, I made a LOT of fuss since there was NO WAY I could wait THAT long! TWO MONTHS with only one ear? Wouldn't be worth going on there! Fortunately I DID get the date changed to a more reasonable 13th APRIL.
Anyway, as I said, I went to the ENT Doc. Explained the problem. He had an initial look down both ears. Then down the left ear, something very long and metal was put. And I mean DEEP inside. Not painful, just damn uncomfortable! I mean, there aint much space down there inside my ears! I think he was either trying to clean out some wax or take a wax or tissue sample or something. Well, he DID take nasty brown-yellow stuff out of both ears (wax I suppose) and it was put into a tissue and I suppose they will analyse it.
The result of all this digging? Well, I am due back there on Saturday and until then I have some ear drops to apply three times a day. And yes, the ear drops he prescribed were THE SAME ONES that I already had! So another wait at the out-patient pharmacy of the hospital.
So yes, the ear HAS been getting better. Less swollen for sure. Last weekend it was pretty bad and at one point I had to go out of the supermarket and sit down a while because the swelling and pressure inside my ear was making me feel really quite ill and rather dizzy. So from there to here is for SURE an improvement. I suppose the swelling will go down to normal ear size now. But what I'd like to know for the future is HOW to prevent this kind of thing happening again. And WHY is it always in my LEFT ear??
So I hope that will soon pass. OK, now onto to internet things. And YESSSSS I DO now have internet on my laptop!! How about THAT!! Ah, you are asking, what method did I choose for my connection? Well there is a story here as you have guessed.
I think I said in a previous blog entry that I'd been down and paid for and filled in the form for the DSL line to be installed in my room. Did that more than two weeks ago now. Paid a lot of money too. And WHAT did I get in return for parting for my hard-earned cash? Absolutely NOTHING, that's what! No internet, no indication as to WHEN I'd be connected and even MORE stories from other teachers who were STILL having problems with this DSL company simply because they were too damn incompetent to get their house in order and get their engineers out to fix the problems of not having a connection. Well, the more time went on and the longer I waited I was getting more and more stressed. Being in this country has been mighty stressful enough. Was this going to be a long-drawn out horror story of internet woes over the next four months? It sure looked that way.
Decided I HAD to do something. I decided that I was going to go down and cancel my DSL connection. Having not had any work done at all, I wasn't going to lose anything I thought, and even if I DID then maybe it wouldn't be much. Yes, there was a risk that I wouldn't, then, have ANY internet at ALL for all my time here. Then all I would have would be the short amount of time I can get on the internet PC at the college and just be able to check emails at best. Skype would be out of the question and certainly no video calls. This was NOT a good prospect in any way, but it was either THAT or lose the equivalent of 300pounds on a shoddy service which wasn't likely to get any better.
I had seen the possibility of the wireless USB dongle internet possibility. Surely that would work. After all, a wireless access point wasn't needed and it was only a case of the wireless USB dongle with a simcard inside it. In other words, the same principle as a normal mobile phone. So surely it HAD to work. The one possible sticking point was that I don't yet have the iqama and they might require that with this kind of connection. After all, back in Krakow I had been denied a regular internet connection because I don't have the residency card (karta pobytu, as it is in Polish). So I was a little nervous.
Anyway, first to the cancellation. EASY PEASY! I went down with the other new teacher who also had this same problem. Explained my predicament and that I wasn't happy and that I wanted to cancel. I didn't mention the word “refund” because I had no idea what they would do. After all, this was a business which was obviously in trouble and they would likely NOT surrender the cash with ease. But I was SO WRONG! My refund was given straight away. No deductions, no fuss, no problems!! It was a surreal experience! Can't imagine a refund being so readily offered in Britain or Poland for sure! But there it was!
So .... straight down to town then to the Mobily phone shop. Found the salesman we'd seen the other day, and worked out what we wanted. He didn't offer much guidance, but then these kinds of people rarely know what they're selling! Anyway, i decided to choose the 'Mobily Connect' with 5GB monthly limit – the one in the middle. And the cost of this? Well, let's just say that I will be saving the equivalent of 100pounds (UK) over the four months that I would have had the DSL connection for! And problems minimised! They didn't need an iqama – just the money. All I have to do is go in to any Mobily shop when the end of month comes round again – in this case some time near 11th May.
SO EASY!!
Had a bit of trouble with it when I got home to get it working, but in the end it just involved some simple change to a few settings. And I WAS ONLINE!! It's not such a fast connection but then it is wireless and the upload and download speeds you get depends on quite a few things such as signal strength. But what the HELL! It works really GREAT! And being wireless I can take it anywhere! And if I get it unlocked then I can use the wireless USB dongle ANYWHERE. For the tech-types out there, it is a ZTE USB dongle but I don't know any more.
Happiness ..... is an internet connection ....
And with those positive words I will sign off here and get this blog entry online. And then to bed since I have a lot to try to organise before the soldier boys classes next week.
Just in case I get too comfortable ....
Had to write a diary entry today. It is, of course, one month exactly since I arrived in The Kingdom (as most locals or long-standing expats refer to Saudi Arabia as). About this time I had well and truly ended Day 1 and was feeling pretty darn tired after my plane journey plus the infamous up-all-night Dammam Airport farce. What a poor way THAT was to start my time here!
And how have things progressed since then? Well, it's pretty hard to come back from THAT I tell you! But overall I can't say I've had the best month of my life. I have only succeeded in making the first one-third of this year, 2009, the most boring, frustrating and pointless way to have started a year in a very long time.
Positives are hard to find. I've had no classes, no students, I've been bugged by this left ear problem for three out of the four weeks, it's been hot (though not so hot as I'd feared), I've had no internet and my TV picture is fuzzy at the best of times.
Ah HAH!! Now, TWO of the above have shown improvement this week. No, make that three. What?? Do I mean there are positive signs appearing at last? Well ..... err ..... yes in a way there ARE. So come in closer and let me tell you all about it ....
Firstly let's talk shop. No, not the local store, but about the work I do, teaching. Yes, I really AM an English teacher and that really IS the reason I'm here primarily. Though how would you know so far? Well, I do now have news on that. So here we go ....
Two mornings ago the Head of Department came down from one of his (usually fruitless) visits to the College Dean's office with what he called Good News And Bad News. And it went like this. The Good News was that (trumpet sound of fanfare please!) the military class IS FINALLY GOING TO START. The Bad News was that this class would be starting on .... Saturday!
Or was it two sets of Bad News? Frankly I don't see much Good News in that announcement. Well, I suppose now, at LAST, we can get started on the course I've been prepared for since the middle of Week 2. But there was more Bad News with it. This class is NOW to be 20 hours a week instead of 15. In other words, four 50-minute periods a day, five days a week with a break between making it, effectively, two sets of double lessons a day.
I suppose I should be happy. After all, the waiting is over, isn't it? Well, in theory YES, but here's the thing. Firstly, there is no guarantee that the class actually WILL start on Saturday. And even if it does, not every one of the students may turn up on that first day/week. Secondly, this class really isn't one I've been looking forward to because of all the bad things the other teachers have been saying about the soldier boy students in general. On the other hand, perhaps I should just take it easy and not sweat too much to expect too much from them.
What I have learned about the class is this: the idea of it is that it is a kind of foundation course in English language basics to the students before they start at college properly on the medical courses they will go on to. This 'foundation course' will go on up to the start of Ramadan, which starts this year on 22nd August. And we have a syllabus (in the loosest sense of the word) which we are to cover with them. What we do in class will be based on the material in the three coursebooks we are to do. When I say “based on”, I mean that much supplementation will be needed because the books are very thin on the ground (and are actually books intended for very young learners!). Students will be at something like elementary level with some deviation either way. In fact, according to their placement test results, the great majority of them scored WAY BELOW the pass mark of 60 percent. Is this because they REALLY don't have the ability in English or because they can't be bothered to apply themselves? Mostly the latter I think. However, they WILL need to know some English both to START on the medical science courses AND, of course, to continue onwards in their medical science careers in the medical profession. SO there IS a reason for these students to be there. THIS could be crucial as we go along.
From what I have gathered so far, their attention span is going to be very low. At least, that goes as far as their motivation to learn English stands. They WILL talk to you, the teacher about various things but the discipline of applying themselves to learning something is lacking. They are not well-versed in How To Be A Student and will very often come to class totally unprepared without books, pens/pencils or writing paper. Oh, and of course NOT on time!
“Crowd control” is one phrase I've heard. “Baby sitting” is another. “Infants in soldier uniforms” is yet another description that has been around. Nobody has much good to say about teaching this lot.
So it could be a problem. But there is one more. The classrooms are not in the normal college building but in 'classrooms' in and around the area where the military reside. This will mean a hot and very exposed walk every morning and afternoon to and from this place.
Well, the mornings might be slightly more bearable. But once we get to July onwards then this will NOT be the case. Then we will have a problem. There IS a bus that goes to this area from outside the college every morning. Trouble is, that bus is also a five-minute walk away from the blocks where we actually live. So we can fry and burn in one of two ways!
Which would YOU choose? Oh, and having been burnt on the WAY THERE, you get then fried and burnt in the classroom too with this bunch of louts!
And just to rub it in all the more, THIS class four times a day and five days a week will be my ONLY class from Saturday coming to Ramadan time. Approximately 16 to 18 weeks in all. So I will need that holiday VERY badly!!
But let me tell you this – at the start of THIS week the situation was as we have always been. The class STILL had no start date with no indication of WHEN it WOULD start. So, the Head of Department took things into his own hands and gave me one class of female students which I was to have three times a week at 50 minutes a time. Not much, but a start.
Well I had this class on Sunday and I had them today. Yes, for those of you who were not paying attention, my first classes in Saudi Arabia have both been with female students. Yes, you DID read that correctly! WOMEN students in Saudi Arabia. Ah, but this is the Eastern Province and they do things a little different here! A bit more “progressive” you might say (in Saudi terms anyway!), but it is true to say that this IS a very rare thing in this country for women to have any access to education at all. And get this – a story that the Head of Department told me: he said that a few years ago he too had one of the first female student classes. Know how he did it? Well, HE was sitting in a kind of studio with a microphone and loudspeakers and THEY were in another room entirely. He couldn't see them and they couldn't see him! He had his “lesson” to do, and he was able (somehow) to know what was going on as he could hear their replies to his questions. Now, imagine THAT!! A lesson where you don't see the students FACES even!!
Anyway, I didn't do it this way, I was in class and they were veiled. Yes, I could see seventeen students and yes, I had a whiteboard and yes, I had the coursebook to follow with my lesson plan.
So what were they like? Well they were OK! I had what I felt was one quite good lesson and one not so good lesson. Lesson 1 was in a smaller room, but the lesson today was in a much bigger room and I often couldn't hear what was being said. My ear problem meant that I still had only one good ear and one part-ear. And a very small part at that. I often couldn't hear clearly enough what students (even in the FRONT ROW) were saying to me! Was it because of the room size, the veil, the background chatter or something else? Well, I felt I was too much hampered by simply not being able to hear what was being said. And I KNEW that, under normal two-ear hearing, I SHOULD have been able to hear them. I got to the end of that lesson feeling really bad about the ear and that I'd rather wasted their time being not fully 'functional' as a teacher. Not good at all.
So what about the ear problem? Well I'm glad to say that the swelling IS going down and that it is almost back to normal ear size today. But still not perfect. This morning, for example, when I woke up and got out of bed I could hear almost normally 100 percent. But soon after I got to the college and was beginning the day, it was all blocked up again. In fact, it REALLY was blocked up today – so much so that I REALLY had a LOT of difficulty hearing people sitting around me. Why should that be? Even the good ear didn't hear what it should have!
Speaking of the good ear, that too has been giving some cause for concern this week. On Friday and at the start of the week, I woke up with the good ear (right ear) blocked because I had some rather sticky ear wax (I assume) that was sticking the ear closed when I was lying on it during the night. TWO BAD EARS??!! WHAT is going on here?
Well, on Saturday I went to see the ENT doctor (Ear Nose Throat). Oh, I must say something about when I went to make the appointment too. On, I think, Tuesday or Wednesday I went to the hospital to make the appointment, and after much searching (as always) I found the right 'Reception Desk'. Explained my problem to the Saudi man there and said that it really WAS urgent given that I had to work next week. I stressed the word URGENT and thought he's listened. But nope – when I got over the other side to CONFIRM the appointment with the registrar (or whatever this person was), it turned out he'd put my appointment date as 13th JUNE 2009!! Now, it was only the NURSE who saw this, and when she pointed it out to me, I made a LOT of fuss since there was NO WAY I could wait THAT long! TWO MONTHS with only one ear? Wouldn't be worth going on there! Fortunately I DID get the date changed to a more reasonable 13th APRIL.
Anyway, as I said, I went to the ENT Doc. Explained the problem. He had an initial look down both ears. Then down the left ear, something very long and metal was put. And I mean DEEP inside. Not painful, just damn uncomfortable! I mean, there aint much space down there inside my ears! I think he was either trying to clean out some wax or take a wax or tissue sample or something. Well, he DID take nasty brown-yellow stuff out of both ears (wax I suppose) and it was put into a tissue and I suppose they will analyse it.
The result of all this digging? Well, I am due back there on Saturday and until then I have some ear drops to apply three times a day. And yes, the ear drops he prescribed were THE SAME ONES that I already had! So another wait at the out-patient pharmacy of the hospital.
So yes, the ear HAS been getting better. Less swollen for sure. Last weekend it was pretty bad and at one point I had to go out of the supermarket and sit down a while because the swelling and pressure inside my ear was making me feel really quite ill and rather dizzy. So from there to here is for SURE an improvement. I suppose the swelling will go down to normal ear size now. But what I'd like to know for the future is HOW to prevent this kind of thing happening again. And WHY is it always in my LEFT ear??
So I hope that will soon pass. OK, now onto to internet things. And YESSSSS I DO now have internet on my laptop!! How about THAT!! Ah, you are asking, what method did I choose for my connection? Well there is a story here as you have guessed.
I think I said in a previous blog entry that I'd been down and paid for and filled in the form for the DSL line to be installed in my room. Did that more than two weeks ago now. Paid a lot of money too. And WHAT did I get in return for parting for my hard-earned cash? Absolutely NOTHING, that's what! No internet, no indication as to WHEN I'd be connected and even MORE stories from other teachers who were STILL having problems with this DSL company simply because they were too damn incompetent to get their house in order and get their engineers out to fix the problems of not having a connection. Well, the more time went on and the longer I waited I was getting more and more stressed. Being in this country has been mighty stressful enough. Was this going to be a long-drawn out horror story of internet woes over the next four months? It sure looked that way.
Decided I HAD to do something. I decided that I was going to go down and cancel my DSL connection. Having not had any work done at all, I wasn't going to lose anything I thought, and even if I DID then maybe it wouldn't be much. Yes, there was a risk that I wouldn't, then, have ANY internet at ALL for all my time here. Then all I would have would be the short amount of time I can get on the internet PC at the college and just be able to check emails at best. Skype would be out of the question and certainly no video calls. This was NOT a good prospect in any way, but it was either THAT or lose the equivalent of 300pounds on a shoddy service which wasn't likely to get any better.
I had seen the possibility of the wireless USB dongle internet possibility. Surely that would work. After all, a wireless access point wasn't needed and it was only a case of the wireless USB dongle with a simcard inside it. In other words, the same principle as a normal mobile phone. So surely it HAD to work. The one possible sticking point was that I don't yet have the iqama and they might require that with this kind of connection. After all, back in Krakow I had been denied a regular internet connection because I don't have the residency card (karta pobytu, as it is in Polish). So I was a little nervous.
Anyway, first to the cancellation. EASY PEASY! I went down with the other new teacher who also had this same problem. Explained my predicament and that I wasn't happy and that I wanted to cancel. I didn't mention the word “refund” because I had no idea what they would do. After all, this was a business which was obviously in trouble and they would likely NOT surrender the cash with ease. But I was SO WRONG! My refund was given straight away. No deductions, no fuss, no problems!! It was a surreal experience! Can't imagine a refund being so readily offered in Britain or Poland for sure! But there it was!
So .... straight down to town then to the Mobily phone shop. Found the salesman we'd seen the other day, and worked out what we wanted. He didn't offer much guidance, but then these kinds of people rarely know what they're selling! Anyway, i decided to choose the 'Mobily Connect' with 5GB monthly limit – the one in the middle. And the cost of this? Well, let's just say that I will be saving the equivalent of 100pounds (UK) over the four months that I would have had the DSL connection for! And problems minimised! They didn't need an iqama – just the money. All I have to do is go in to any Mobily shop when the end of month comes round again – in this case some time near 11th May.
SO EASY!!
Had a bit of trouble with it when I got home to get it working, but in the end it just involved some simple change to a few settings. And I WAS ONLINE!! It's not such a fast connection but then it is wireless and the upload and download speeds you get depends on quite a few things such as signal strength. But what the HELL! It works really GREAT! And being wireless I can take it anywhere! And if I get it unlocked then I can use the wireless USB dongle ANYWHERE. For the tech-types out there, it is a ZTE USB dongle but I don't know any more.
Happiness ..... is an internet connection ....
And with those positive words I will sign off here and get this blog entry online. And then to bed since I have a lot to try to organise before the soldier boys classes next week.
Just in case I get too comfortable ....
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Snow and Ice in Khobar, Saudi Arabia!!??
... and it even rains sometimes! Yes, we had a heavy rainstorm two nights ago right here!
But back to the main story. No no this is NOT an April Fool. I am here to tell YOU that two days ago at about 7am local time we, here in Khobar, North-East Saudi Arabia had short and VERY sharp snow storm.
Don't believe me? Well, HERE is the video proof! And this is NO FAKE!
Well, imagine it! What would YOU do if you'd never seen snow in your life before??
And here is what Khobar looks like on a normal day. This video is about a year old but you get the idea.
Sun Sun Sun ..... and then some :)
But back to the main story. No no this is NOT an April Fool. I am here to tell YOU that two days ago at about 7am local time we, here in Khobar, North-East Saudi Arabia had short and VERY sharp snow storm.
Don't believe me? Well, HERE is the video proof! And this is NO FAKE!
Well, imagine it! What would YOU do if you'd never seen snow in your life before??
And here is what Khobar looks like on a normal day. This video is about a year old but you get the idea.
Sun Sun Sun ..... and then some :)
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