My Recurring Dream

I have a recurring dream.

I am in a big building with lots of rooms, lots of corridors. It's some kind of university setting and I am trying to find a room.  I can't be sure, but it seems to take an age to get there.  Always looking, sometimes finding and sometimes not.

This is the dream come real. Welcome to the setting for the "biggest language programme in the world".

It certainly feels big.  Although all the teaching takes place on one campus and essentially in one large building, there are 170 EFL teachers here now, along with Maths, Business Science and Science teachers.  Most are full-time.  A few, including myself, are one month double-shifters (teaching AM and PM).  This includes a guy staying the same hotel as me, Richard, a West Ham fan, who returns to the UK in 2 weeks.  I share room 304 with a grumpy American (is it possible?) but seek solace with my neighbour, an Urdu and Arabic speaking, Liverpool FC supporting guy from Manchester. He acts as our wing man and is calmness personified.  Generally there are lots of Brits... mostly from the major cities, a lot of them moslem.  My supervisor, Majid, is from Ilford and his home is off Cranbrook Road.  Needless to say, he is not 'caucasian' and a very calm, charming man, who is main guide and mentor for me and several others.  During the induction (Saturday) he commented in front of others, knowing about my contract, that he didn't want me to leave so soon.  I was introduced to the main manager of the programme and later quizzed him over the dates of Eid-ul-Adha.  In 1431 (Islamic Calendar) this date is November 16.  But the university will close from 11 November.  Which means, I can't possibly teach in my final contracted week.  Whether I stay or leave early depends on what the manager says, but it appears i might be getting paid for a week's holiday!  As far as I am concerned I signed a contract for one month, not knowing this date, and so I feel I will stay and return on the same flight home... albeit not having to teach in that final week... we will see.

I begun teaching on Sunday and was thrown in the deep end.  My experiences have taught me well.  With or without medication, I have so far kept myself calm and 'on the ball'.  I have orientated myself fairly quickly... but I have no time whatsoever to plan lessons.  So I just teach from the core textbook, using an E-Podium (Interactive whiteboard with lots of magical features), which is fun.

The Saudi's are easily the best bunch of students you could wish to have.  They are very friendly, quite funny and quite disciplined.  Something about the culture, religious rituals (prayers 5 times a day) and the lack of female distraction keeps them focused.  OK, sometimes they are late because they are poor timekeepers or they have crashed their car on the way to the university... but generally they are good students.  Certainly when I ask them to do something, they obey... once they have understood the instructions.

Yesterday afternoon I went straight into a new classroom, with new kids, with a completely new (to them and me) teaching methodology.  Called 'Socratic Dialogue' and based on the Greek Socrates - it was at attempt to get them thinking for themselves for a change.  Like the Chinese, they are used to rote learning and memorising for exams.  So getting them think is a little hard... they are capable.. they just need coaxing.  I am to grade them on their performance.. My own performance, however, is down to me. I will have just one observation during my stay.  Other than that, I won't need to lesson plan (although I should) and I can use the excuse of double-shifting at any point!  I am getting paid a good wage for doing this and several people I've met seem secretly jealous... but I won't let that go to my head!

Whilst at the university, I feel absolutely fine... getting around and eating out is interesting but not that much fun.. fairly cheap and varied... but the environment is hot, dry and harsh.  Whilst inside, things are good, and if I can get one falafel a day, I'll be laughing.

Anyway, I am sitting near the stairs, using the free hotel wi-fi and my battery is running low.  So, I will end this blog at this point.  Hopefully, I will update on Friday (holy day), inbetween getting my washing done.

But for now.. it's over and out.

TP

First Impressions - Saudi

Well, this is different.

I have arrived in Riyadh after what seemed a really short 6 hour flight from Heathrow.  I had a little forsight and took out some extra Saudi Arabian Riyals at the airport, about which the woman serving me commented that it should gets me plenty of 'dates'.  It was my first to time to fly from Terminal 5 and with British Airways.  The plane was incredibly empty, passengers nearly outnumbered by crew.  All the preparation and fear about getting through customs was ridiculous, as within minutes of picking up by suitcase I was out in the arrivals lounge being badgered by local taxi drivers.  I had a feeling that 6am was a good arrival time, but security was lax to say the least.. needles to say, I had nothing to declare.  My designated driver was not there to greet me, so I had to wait for him, rather than accept the many alternative offers.  I didn't know which hotel I was checking into, anyway.  Eventually I was drive to The Nakhil and shown to room 304.  My flat mate from Chicago was there to greet me, bleary-eyed.  He had been warned that someone new was coming to stay.  I later met most of the other teachers from the KSU progamme, all of whom are doing the full term.  They seem to have 'bonded', having been here between 5 and 10 days already and had done a weeks teaching already.  All seem outwardly confident and opinionated, while I feel like a little boy lost. I have learned not to panic in the past, but memories do flood back so easily.  It was weird not having any KSU orientation on my first 2 days and it seems that my first 'working' day would be the proper orientation that I need. This leaves 19 days of actual teaching.  So the first 2 days have been about getting to know the other teachers and adjust to the heat.  I managed to share experiences of Korea, Japan and Beijing over a Mexican meal on the first night.I went for a Lebanese meal at lunchtime today.

The immediate impression of the terrain outside is similar to what I expected.  It looks like a construction site out there. The city is still being built. The roads are wide, the youngsters like to screech their tyres and crossing the road is often about dodging the fast moving vehicles.  Everywhere is dry, in more ways than one.  It was rather strange 'drinking' non-alcoholic Budweiser with fully grown men, who I could see needed a real drink... but going for a late night mango juice before bed was cute if not surreal.  Actually, not drinking is probably the best possible thing for me.  I am smoking already, as I did in the summer... got to have one vice... as these are often the best times for sharing information and meditating.  

Prayers are 5 times a day and the call for prayer is loud and clear, with businesses shutting down for the duration.  It will be something I get used to quickly and if it happens during class then I will have about 3 minutes to wrap up the lesson.  So far, the locals have been friendly and curious.. but I am still going to stick close to my colleagues as between them there is enough knowledge to get into and out of any situation. 

Tomorrow (Saturday) it begins.. the real business of why I am here.  I may be absolutely shattered by next Thursday - my next day off.

TP