Different Strokes

Kidz with Gunz

The end game is in sight, even if I have only just passed the halfway point.  That is because the second part should be easier than the first. With 29 teaching days and 68 actual days to go, I can look forward to the end of my contract, with flight booked - 9.10pm Middle East Airlines flight to London, via Beirut, on 27 June. 

The mid-term break brought a chance to enjoy the campus without lots of overweight students walking 3-a-breast down the corridors.    For the teachers, it was the 2nd of this year's Professional Development Weeks.  It was a hit-and-miss affair... with compulsory plenary sessions to attend and optional workshops in the afternoon.  The highlight was Terry Phillips' seminar on syntactic structures (word order) and orthographic codes.  In addition, Dick Dendle returned for more guidance on approaches to teaching.  Furthermore, announcements regarding the future of the programme were met with a muted response.  12 months contracts only and a serious management restructure.  It is highly unlikely I will be coming back.

I have struggled lately, not with illness, but just with general lethargy.  I am not alone.  The initial surge of energy and creativity ran out a while back, and I am treading water now.  The mid-term exams fall on Saturday, 23 April, after which I can seriously start counting the days.  My cover duty has fallen on this date, so I will have to invigilate 2 exams, but not my level 6 class, who remain quite wonderful.  My level 7's continue to be an issue, with my new partner teacher not quite seeing eye-to-eye with them.   I have volunteered to undertake the post-exam ESP project with them... which involves making a wiki or something similar... although attendance remains the only issue.  They are still not particularly motivated... how to generate new motivation will be the key factor in how the final 5 weeks or so pan out.  The final exams fall around 4 June.  I have no idea yet what follows but I have made some contingency plans.

One of those is to join 'Fitness Time', the newly-opened gym across from the university.  I don't know why I prevaricated over joining... they have a wonderful pool and I have begun swimming regularly.  Different Strokes for different folks?  As the temperature continues to increase, this luxury will be worth its weight in gold.  It will keep me physically in-shape and mentally strong, too. I can spend June, in particular, getting in shape for the summer school at the Leys.  

I have booked a trip to Taif, which is close to Jeddah and Makkah, on the western side of the country, for 15-17 June.  I will go with Kim Chibou, my female friend from the hotel.  She is currently in Jordan, a trip I declined to go on.  Kim is a 'herder' on the hash and is also planning a week in the UK when she finishes her contract at the same time as myself.   Meanwhile, I will continue to join the ex-pats and military guys on the hash... last week it was a camel trail, with some rocky terrain.  Tomorrow, it the  'Roast Beef In The Desert' Trek for St George's Day. 

 

Last Wednesday, one of those infamous university clarion calls came out for a random bunch of teachers to meet in the lobby for a bus ride to a 'cultural festival'.  Although Al-Janadriyah had the potential to be a truly cultural experience, on a rather wet Wednesday morning it didn't really cut it.  Most of the stalls were closed... and the promised 'Japanese exchange experience' never materialized, because the whole section was out of bounds until the afternoon.  What I did get to see was a bunch of schoolkids waving pretend swords and guns and filling up on Herfy burgers (see below).  In that respect, it reminded me very much of the teens on the young learner study trips in the UK.  The general ill-thought out way these trips are handled doesn't make me feel warmth towards the culture.  It does little to encourage me to stay or to investigate further.  Furthermore, I have given up the Al-hamra Cultural Awareness programmes, because basically I have lost interest and have switched to merely tolerating the culture, not embracing it.

How much for the Gourd?

Cultural Exchange?

Half Way Point

It is now the mid-term break at KSUPY.  At the risk of being a little premature, it is the half way point for me.  Technically, 14 April is the point ('half way there' day) at which I have as many days left in Riyadh as I have already spent here.  In teaching terms, I have completed 8 weeks and there are only 5 more actual teaching weeks + revision week + exam weeks (mid-terms and finals).  Furthermore, I spent a month here last year, so I am already more than halfway toward my 6 months experience of teaching in Saudi.  On completion, I will have reached three years in TEFL, when you add all the actual contract time together.  I go straight from this into the summer school at the Leys, but have made no plans for beyond the summer.

In the last two weeks, I have received my Iqama, had my sole observation, been teaching my level 6 students about Introductory Paragraphs, caused offence with the use of the word 'terrorist' out of context, been to another hash, been loaned a laptop, and created a 'cultural induction' video for new teachers with my level 7students.

The Iqama (residence permit) was a long time coming.  But once received, it meant that I could open a bank account for future salary deposits.  I have joined SABB, like many others, as they have the same logo as and are connected to HSBC - a familiar brand.  The Iqama is also simpler to carry around than the temporary thing I had.  Getting into compounds is simpler now, as I did last Wednesday, with a second trip out to Yamamma, off exit 15.

My observation took place on Monday 28 March (Luke's birthday - my nephew, not my roommate, whose birthday it is today - 7 April).  The fairly strict Mazhar Malik observed my lesson on 'thesis statements' and getting the students interested in writing an introductory paragraph, using general sentences to lead-into a main essay idea.  I received a 'good' (4/5) report.. which is better than 'excellent' (5/5) in my mind... getting the top score leads to complacency.  Rapport and clarity, as usual, are two of my stronger traits.  'Spread of attention' could do with more work... but then, hey, who needs a perfect lesson, anyway?  As long as I am doing my job, getting paid.  It only truly matters if I am coming back, which is unlikely, but not out of the question.

The 'terrorist' incident blew up when a discussion, with my level 7s, on comparing 1970s with 2010s games lead to a video being shown of what Saudi students get up to when they are not studying.  I inadvertently mentioned the word 'terrorist' during the clip which showed some lads causing a minor explosion.  This resulted in the students questioning my views.  I pretended that I meant to say it to cause controversy, but that it a lie, because it just slipped out.  I don't know why.  I apologised for any offence, but not before a couple of the students had launched into me and listed off a string of western behaviours which were at odds with the conservative, Islamic middle-east.  "Who's the real terrorists?" I was asked, rhetorically.  I could tell they were milking my discomfort and pretending to cry.  They are good actors, some of them.  Rather than let the situation worsen I tried my best to patch things up, realising I had made a mistake.  The next day I asked to do cover instead of teach this class.  The self-enforced break worked and, by the following session, it had all been forgotten about.


Last Friday, 1st April, a load of ex-pats went out to the desert again.  I am prohibited from describing in detail what went on because of the exposure risks involved.  Female employees can get into trouble, for example, by allowing themselves to be photographed outside without an abaya. Suffice to say, another great time was had.. a long walk, a visit to the 'Fort Alamo' and Ain Heet Cave area.  



I've been loaned a Dell laptop until the end of the contract.  This is very nice and is more reliable for getting a Skype connection.  It doesn't cost me anything and it is already loaded with software.  I have, however, bought a wireless router, with a view to setting up my own internet access at the hotel.  There is a limited amount of bandwidth available to the Baron and it gets used up sometimes through excessive downloads.  On Friday, I will attempt to get connected.

Our regular minibus driver, Jalal, bowed out this week.  He has been hired by Obeikan to ferry people around, but his own contract came to an end.  Unfortunately, this meant an end to our regular door-to-door service.  Some of the guys have picked up a regular cab, and have been able to keep the going rate of 5 riyals per head.  Others have made temporary or ad-hoc arrangements.  Then out of the blue a guy who works in the TRR (Teacher's Resource Room) offered 6 of us a lift home, and every day since he has made himself available.  His station wagon was like a chariot appearing from out of the dusty sky.


There have been a lot of staff sickness recently at KSU.  Most of it is genuine.  My friend and former teaching partner, Riaz Khan jetted off to the UK recently after having an accident at work and being taken to hospital for a knee operation.  Mikey Kettle fell victim to some medication he received for dehydration and was hospitalised for a week.  Meanwhile, another friend, Danny, left suddenly with his wife and child for Japan when his sister-in-law was involved in a car crash.  So he is on 'compassionate leave'.  Other absences may be a combination of 'tiredness' and a lack of motivation, which they might have caught off their students.  The latter stages of the Cricket World Cup may have also had an effect on absences, although this is hearsay.  There is a quite a lot of dissatisfaction going around with a number of issues, too many to detail here.  I am not going to be negative myself and will continue to keep my own personal spirits high.  For some, it is the cultural aspects. For others, it is organisational issues.  For some, simply being in a hot climate, with lazy students, no air conditioning and frequent sandstorms, the physical conditions are debilitating.  


For one week, Riaz was replaced by Andrew Chappell, a guy who undertakes a number of duties as 'lead teacher', including the cultural induction for new teachers.  He instigated a small project for the Level 7s, which I carried on with after he was suddenly taken away from me and replaced by Jason, a teacher from Northern Ireland.  The project was to discuss, write about and produce a small film about the students' perspective on teachers at KSUPY.  They needed some coaxing, first to write and to appear in front of the camera.  In the end, with Andrew's help, we got a proper TV camera hired for the afternoon (Tue 5 Apr), and recorded some talking heads.  A few of the guys helped edit the film the following day (Wed 6 Apr), the last before the break and I am fairly happy with the result.

So, it should get easier from here.  I am counting down the days now, instead of waiting to count the days.  It's not bad, sometimes it is great.  But I am looking forward to getting back to the UK now.