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!”
Friday, 17 April 2009
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 :)
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
"Against boredom even the gods struggle in vain"
This quote is taken from FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, 19th century German philosopher.
Monday 6th April 2009
I seem to repeating myself a lot on these pages lately.
Sorry. I know it's getting a bit boring for you out there reading this that I write (yes, that means YOU!). But I can't help it. There is nothing else to write about. And what's a diary or blog for if not to vent my spleen and look back on later to have a laugh at. Well it might become funny later, but the only laughter now is coming from Fate which has placed me here in Saudi Arabia.
I remember one thing well about my job in Krakow. At the end of October, I was told that I was “the unluckiest teacher in the school” as my timetable had been hit hardest due to the late starting or non-starting classes at Fortis bank. Well, that kind of “bad luck” (if that's what it is) is still hanging over me and seems to have followed me here. But this time I didn't have any classes to BEGIN WITH. But Bad Luck is, it seems, what I still have.
You know what annoys me a lot? Well, I talked about this on a previous blog entry. Anyway, it is still the fact that the other new teachers both DO have classes and I still have nothing. Maybe that is what they were planned to have even before I arrived. Maybe I'm taking the thing too damned personally. But these things are following me around a lot lately. And when I say “lately”, I mean over the last two years in very many ways. Sparks of Good inside a big, old fire of Badness that just won't go out.
I guess the problems with my ear have made my mood a little more extreme this week – again as I said before. That may be true. It does show signs of clearing, but then it did THAT last week before Friday morning in the shower. So strange that I have had this for so long. I don't believe in coincidence. Some change in my environment must be the thing that is causing it. Could it be the water from the shower? It does have a rather salty taste. No, obviously I don't drink the stuff, but I do get some of it in my mouth during my morning shower and the taste is there. Also, at times I notice that if I have cuts or some raw areas of skin, there is some stinging for a while. Maybe that water is getting in my ear and causing a reaction of some kind. I think I will have to take steps to prevent water getting into my ears in general in future. Some kind of shower earplugs are called for or cotton wool. Vaseline has also been suggested. Also, although I never use cotton buds to clean out my ears, maybe such things are more necessary here. Yes, yes, don't worry, I DO clean my ears properly every day as a matter of course. But maybe a little more care is needed here.
Ears is one thing, but BOREDOM is totally ANOTHER!!
Now, think back to any occasion where you were so bored you didn't know what to do and could only wait till it was all over and done. Now imagine that is happening five days a week. Now, in addition, imagine that your boredom is compounded week after week so that the thing you did LAST week to beat the boredom is now ITSELF getting a bit boring.
Every week this is the situation for me.
Now, I have to tell you this. It is really NOT easy to get me bored. I have a very high tolerance level of boredom. In fact, often I like my own company and don't always need others around me to get by each day. But I am talking, of course, about leisure time in evenings and weekends. Certainly NOT talking about the NORMAL WORKING DAY!!
Another thing to say. In my short time in Krakow last year I was satisfied in how I managed my time and got myself better trained to manage my day better. I could organise myself better, and this was specially important when I needed to get to and from lessons in different locations in different parts of the town. Not easy to do without a car. But I did it and I was very pleased with how I got it all together.
“Managing my time” here in Saudi Arabia is taking on a whole new meaning. I'm talking about the management of boredom and how the HELL to fill the empty day. For GOODNESS SAKE! This is WORKING TIME! I shouldn't HAVE this problem. I should be able to get up when I need to, go out and do what I need to do, get to where I need to and return home when I need to. Keeping my mind active and keeping myself in reasonable physical shape and enjoying the time with colleagues and friends.
Yes, i knew I'd have to cope with a lot of drudgery here. But I assumed that would be OUTSIDE the working day. I was prepared for THAT with all my books and with my laptop and (hopefully) the internet that I will have. But I cannot deal well with boredom during the working day. Yeah Yeah I could prepare my lessons .... for my one class-to-be. But how long will THAT take? And in any case I don't believe in being over-prepared because you need to take a class as it comes and go with the flow and do what THEY need to do. When the time comes, I will enjoy that normal part of the teaching process. But now??
OK, OK, nuff said. Let's write about something else now.
Hmm sorry but I can't think of anything positive or humorous to write about. Cos the next topic on my mind is the internet connection and what I've heard about it here. Basically the company who provides the internet DSL connection for everyone here in the compound is utterly hopeless. Downtime is part of life, and they have no service people to speak of. If there is a problem, if you get disconnected, there is no telling when you might get reconnected. A week, two weeks, a month or even more. THAT'S what many teachers here have had to put up with.
Weighing up things, it seemed to me that I had no option, initially, than to sign up with them since there was little else I could do as a new teacher. So I decided to sign up just for three months, and with that they have given me an extra month for free. Not bad! But it is NOT cheap, they are slow, and as to WHEN they will bother to get us all connected is anyone's guess. And even when we DO get online, we might be off again soon with no info as to what is going on.
Now, I checked online yesterday and I did find many other companies in Saudi Arabia and, indeed, in the local area who also do DSL packages. Why, I thought, did we have to put up with this kind of bad service when there are so many others around? The answer, unfortunately, is that because this is a compound, any company who provides a service like this needs to be approved by those who run the place. And the DSL line internet provider here IS the ONLY DSL company who have been approved to operate here. So no other companies, however good they are, will be permitted to come in here. And get this – not only are these people the ONLY DSL internet connection allowed here, they are also (according to what I have seen) one of the most EXPENSIVE!!
So we get hit in two ways.
I have paid my money now, and I'm not even going to bother going to ask for a refund since THAT word will not register in their vocabulary I'm sure. All I can do is hope they get it set up quick and that there really ISN'T any more trouble. But like everything here, I'm not too optimistic that this will be the case.
I'm so tired of fighting. WHY CAN'T IT BE EASIER FOR ME HERE?? Why is EVERYTHING just so IMPOSSIBLE? Yes, it IS a foreign country and yes, of COURSE I realise things ain 't the same everywhere. But please, PLEASE just give me a bit of peace!! I'm not travelling, I am living and working. It's not like I can laugh it off and move on and write about it later for the sake of “Traveller's tales” round the campfire. The travelling thing? Been there and done that. I'm here to work and to TRY to live as “normal” a life as I can.
Stress, Stress, Stress!! And when I get stressed, things which shouldn't bother me are WORSE than they SHOULD BE! There is one of the teachers who is obviously quite an intellect and who always has some opinion and informative set of anecdotes on .... well, for me, topics which are often rather obscure and uninteresting. Now, I'm sure others find him fascinating, but right now under these conditions I'm in I just wish he'd SHUT UP!! Oh, and the newest teacher. What's HIS problem then? And he annoys me with his lack of knowledge about this country. No, I'm not an expert, but you would think that before coming to a country like this you should at LEAST acquaint yourself with basics of the culture – Do's and Dont's and the like. He seems not to know things he should. And the other new teacher – the one who joined a week after me. Well, he's alright, but he takes things way too easy for my liking and thinks I should do the same and just enjoy the time now and generally chill out and watch the world go by. Might be a good idea, but I'm sorry but I can't for reasons explained many times before. I'm NOT about to waste my time here having wasted three months of my life back in London waiting to GET HERE!
This year, 2009, is shaping up to be the most BORING in my entire history ..... but, err, .... yes, OK, it will be the most financially profitable. So, yes, I got to keep my eyes on the prize.
And don't you know that ..... “Things .... Can Only Get Better ... Can Only Get, Things Can Only Get, Things Can Only Get BETTER!!”.
Thank you Tony Blair and thank you D-Ream for this annoyingly optimistic song.
Sorry, but I don't do optimistic. Please close the door when you leave. Thank you.
Tomorrow's task? Well, I think I have to progress things to a higher level. So .... mobile phone games then .... I've got the Fish Photos game and the Crazy Golf games. Better not play the Tennis cos it will mess up my Sony Ericsson joystick. But anything else is considered.
Oh, almost forgot. I DID do something different today, and I'll do it tomorrow too. Exam invigilation. Yes, right now is the mid-term exam season at the college and one of the teachers had me in two of his classes today so sit and watch his class for any signs of cheating. Oh, and one more of those tomorrow!
Now, HOW EXCITING IS THAT!! Roll on the morning!!
Monday 6th April 2009
I seem to repeating myself a lot on these pages lately.
Sorry. I know it's getting a bit boring for you out there reading this that I write (yes, that means YOU!). But I can't help it. There is nothing else to write about. And what's a diary or blog for if not to vent my spleen and look back on later to have a laugh at. Well it might become funny later, but the only laughter now is coming from Fate which has placed me here in Saudi Arabia.
I remember one thing well about my job in Krakow. At the end of October, I was told that I was “the unluckiest teacher in the school” as my timetable had been hit hardest due to the late starting or non-starting classes at Fortis bank. Well, that kind of “bad luck” (if that's what it is) is still hanging over me and seems to have followed me here. But this time I didn't have any classes to BEGIN WITH. But Bad Luck is, it seems, what I still have.
You know what annoys me a lot? Well, I talked about this on a previous blog entry. Anyway, it is still the fact that the other new teachers both DO have classes and I still have nothing. Maybe that is what they were planned to have even before I arrived. Maybe I'm taking the thing too damned personally. But these things are following me around a lot lately. And when I say “lately”, I mean over the last two years in very many ways. Sparks of Good inside a big, old fire of Badness that just won't go out.
I guess the problems with my ear have made my mood a little more extreme this week – again as I said before. That may be true. It does show signs of clearing, but then it did THAT last week before Friday morning in the shower. So strange that I have had this for so long. I don't believe in coincidence. Some change in my environment must be the thing that is causing it. Could it be the water from the shower? It does have a rather salty taste. No, obviously I don't drink the stuff, but I do get some of it in my mouth during my morning shower and the taste is there. Also, at times I notice that if I have cuts or some raw areas of skin, there is some stinging for a while. Maybe that water is getting in my ear and causing a reaction of some kind. I think I will have to take steps to prevent water getting into my ears in general in future. Some kind of shower earplugs are called for or cotton wool. Vaseline has also been suggested. Also, although I never use cotton buds to clean out my ears, maybe such things are more necessary here. Yes, yes, don't worry, I DO clean my ears properly every day as a matter of course. But maybe a little more care is needed here.
Ears is one thing, but BOREDOM is totally ANOTHER!!
Now, think back to any occasion where you were so bored you didn't know what to do and could only wait till it was all over and done. Now imagine that is happening five days a week. Now, in addition, imagine that your boredom is compounded week after week so that the thing you did LAST week to beat the boredom is now ITSELF getting a bit boring.
Every week this is the situation for me.
Now, I have to tell you this. It is really NOT easy to get me bored. I have a very high tolerance level of boredom. In fact, often I like my own company and don't always need others around me to get by each day. But I am talking, of course, about leisure time in evenings and weekends. Certainly NOT talking about the NORMAL WORKING DAY!!
Another thing to say. In my short time in Krakow last year I was satisfied in how I managed my time and got myself better trained to manage my day better. I could organise myself better, and this was specially important when I needed to get to and from lessons in different locations in different parts of the town. Not easy to do without a car. But I did it and I was very pleased with how I got it all together.
“Managing my time” here in Saudi Arabia is taking on a whole new meaning. I'm talking about the management of boredom and how the HELL to fill the empty day. For GOODNESS SAKE! This is WORKING TIME! I shouldn't HAVE this problem. I should be able to get up when I need to, go out and do what I need to do, get to where I need to and return home when I need to. Keeping my mind active and keeping myself in reasonable physical shape and enjoying the time with colleagues and friends.
Yes, i knew I'd have to cope with a lot of drudgery here. But I assumed that would be OUTSIDE the working day. I was prepared for THAT with all my books and with my laptop and (hopefully) the internet that I will have. But I cannot deal well with boredom during the working day. Yeah Yeah I could prepare my lessons .... for my one class-to-be. But how long will THAT take? And in any case I don't believe in being over-prepared because you need to take a class as it comes and go with the flow and do what THEY need to do. When the time comes, I will enjoy that normal part of the teaching process. But now??
OK, OK, nuff said. Let's write about something else now.
Hmm sorry but I can't think of anything positive or humorous to write about. Cos the next topic on my mind is the internet connection and what I've heard about it here. Basically the company who provides the internet DSL connection for everyone here in the compound is utterly hopeless. Downtime is part of life, and they have no service people to speak of. If there is a problem, if you get disconnected, there is no telling when you might get reconnected. A week, two weeks, a month or even more. THAT'S what many teachers here have had to put up with.
Weighing up things, it seemed to me that I had no option, initially, than to sign up with them since there was little else I could do as a new teacher. So I decided to sign up just for three months, and with that they have given me an extra month for free. Not bad! But it is NOT cheap, they are slow, and as to WHEN they will bother to get us all connected is anyone's guess. And even when we DO get online, we might be off again soon with no info as to what is going on.
Now, I checked online yesterday and I did find many other companies in Saudi Arabia and, indeed, in the local area who also do DSL packages. Why, I thought, did we have to put up with this kind of bad service when there are so many others around? The answer, unfortunately, is that because this is a compound, any company who provides a service like this needs to be approved by those who run the place. And the DSL line internet provider here IS the ONLY DSL company who have been approved to operate here. So no other companies, however good they are, will be permitted to come in here. And get this – not only are these people the ONLY DSL internet connection allowed here, they are also (according to what I have seen) one of the most EXPENSIVE!!
So we get hit in two ways.
I have paid my money now, and I'm not even going to bother going to ask for a refund since THAT word will not register in their vocabulary I'm sure. All I can do is hope they get it set up quick and that there really ISN'T any more trouble. But like everything here, I'm not too optimistic that this will be the case.
I'm so tired of fighting. WHY CAN'T IT BE EASIER FOR ME HERE?? Why is EVERYTHING just so IMPOSSIBLE? Yes, it IS a foreign country and yes, of COURSE I realise things ain 't the same everywhere. But please, PLEASE just give me a bit of peace!! I'm not travelling, I am living and working. It's not like I can laugh it off and move on and write about it later for the sake of “Traveller's tales” round the campfire. The travelling thing? Been there and done that. I'm here to work and to TRY to live as “normal” a life as I can.
Stress, Stress, Stress!! And when I get stressed, things which shouldn't bother me are WORSE than they SHOULD BE! There is one of the teachers who is obviously quite an intellect and who always has some opinion and informative set of anecdotes on .... well, for me, topics which are often rather obscure and uninteresting. Now, I'm sure others find him fascinating, but right now under these conditions I'm in I just wish he'd SHUT UP!! Oh, and the newest teacher. What's HIS problem then? And he annoys me with his lack of knowledge about this country. No, I'm not an expert, but you would think that before coming to a country like this you should at LEAST acquaint yourself with basics of the culture – Do's and Dont's and the like. He seems not to know things he should. And the other new teacher – the one who joined a week after me. Well, he's alright, but he takes things way too easy for my liking and thinks I should do the same and just enjoy the time now and generally chill out and watch the world go by. Might be a good idea, but I'm sorry but I can't for reasons explained many times before. I'm NOT about to waste my time here having wasted three months of my life back in London waiting to GET HERE!
This year, 2009, is shaping up to be the most BORING in my entire history ..... but, err, .... yes, OK, it will be the most financially profitable. So, yes, I got to keep my eyes on the prize.
And don't you know that ..... “Things .... Can Only Get Better ... Can Only Get, Things Can Only Get, Things Can Only Get BETTER!!”.
Thank you Tony Blair and thank you D-Ream for this annoyingly optimistic song.
Sorry, but I don't do optimistic. Please close the door when you leave. Thank you.
Tomorrow's task? Well, I think I have to progress things to a higher level. So .... mobile phone games then .... I've got the Fish Photos game and the Crazy Golf games. Better not play the Tennis cos it will mess up my Sony Ericsson joystick. But anything else is considered.
Oh, almost forgot. I DID do something different today, and I'll do it tomorrow too. Exam invigilation. Yes, right now is the mid-term exam season at the college and one of the teachers had me in two of his classes today so sit and watch his class for any signs of cheating. Oh, and one more of those tomorrow!
Now, HOW EXCITING IS THAT!! Roll on the morning!!
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