Top of the Tower

It's the weekend here in Saudi.  Some of the teachers have got 'cover duty' today, but not me... I'm pretty much on holiday.  All potential lesson planning has been put off until tomorrow as I have taken myself for a walk around the city (albeit with a short taxi ride to begin with).   It's a relatively new city.. still being built.  Modern buildings rising from rubble.. there is construction everywhere. I have just been up to the highest point in Riyadh - the Kingdom Tower - off King Fahd Road - known as the 'necklace' if you are being polite or 'bottle opener' if you are being unkind.  It is, at 302m high, the 54th tallest structure in the world, topped with a 300-tonne iron bridge known as the 'skybridge'.

It is also the end of my first proper week on the 'biggest language programme in the world' and I have got into the swing of things, although I have little time during the day to plan much.  I am only really concerned about one lesson, which is my observed lesson.  It is the only time I am actually checked on my performance... I only hope it is in the morning with one of my Level 3 classes, not in the afternoon.  My Level 1's are fine, obviously low ability, but the classroom is small and there is no air conditioning.  We all want to change rooms, but for now I am allowing water/toilet breaks because I feel sorry for them!  I'm having fun with the E-Podium and drawing on the smartboard... I can now put this experience on my CV.  There are continuous assessments for all students and they are being encouraged to take part in different kinds of learning - including socratic dialogues and mind-mapping, which they are not used to.  In terms of being used to learning by rote and memorising, they are very similar to the Chinese and Korean kids.  You think they are young adults and most of them dwarf me, either by height or by width, but when they see even a cartoon drawing of a female they start giggling, so you realise how sheltered a life they lead.  Having said that, they all use the internet and have a strong awareness of western culture, movies and music... even if they are not openly encouraged to have it through education.  They pretty much all have blackberries (parental note: it's a kind of mobile phone with-in built keyboard).  The other day I had a lesson on being a tourist in different cities around the world.  When I asked what New York was famous for, one said 'skyscrapers'. Then I had to ask them what an Arab might do in New York. I was wary of where the conversation might go, and had been warned to be careful.  15 of the hijackers from 9/11 were from Saudi, of course. The books have been culturaly vetted, I'm told.   We are not supposed to talk about religion or politics for obvious reasons, but they are curious, as you might expect.  And they are very polite and keen to learn, too.  One class invited me to Chilli's - which was voted best 'restaurant' by my Level 3 students, but I declined.  The students would have paid for me.. but they expect something back in terms of higher grades!  It's also technically an obligation of my contract to spurn gifts.  Although..... hmmm.... maybe a camel for the long journey from Wells -> Fakenham.

The big news for me is that I won't have to teach in my final week as the university is closed and there is basically no students.  The Haj pilgrimage approaches, as does the Eid_Al-Adha festival.  It remains to be seen whether I will stay until my scheduled flight home on 18 November... but I intend to and take the last week as holiday. I have mentioned it to the programme manager, just before he had to entertain dignitaries from 'the British Prime Minister's office'.  He said that "I am being discussed".  Potentially I could earn 1250 GBP for doing bugger all. Sshhhhh! Don't tell anyone.

I came here, essentially, for the serious cash injection.   But I will leave, I am sure, with increased confidence about being able to step into any classroom around the world and teach.  It has also given me insight into Arabic/Muslim culture and life which is centred around prayer 5 times a day.  I have become used to not drinking, and I am usually tired enough to sleep.  It is possible to live without drinking, I have found, as well as other things we are so used to in the western world.   I have plenty of carbohydrates and cheap Bengali curries so far... but I am now tempering it with salads.  I spent less than 10 riyals on a basket of veg in the supermarket... and will do at least 4 meals.  Cereal and Gronala bars in the morning.. coffee at all other times.

 
I hope to go the desert before I leave.. the Empty Quarter lies to the south, and there are camel races outside the city district.  Will have to borrow a 4WD, however.  I will keep tabs with the other teachers who live in the hotel, and catch a ride with them if they are going.  Safety in numbers.. speaking Arabic is a bonus if you live here, but Urdu goes a long way as many of the migrant workers come from the India and Pakistan, just like my taxi driver today, who just wanted to talk about cricket!  He was sad about the Pakistani cricketers involved in this summer's spot-fixing shame, yet he still overcharged me for a ride to the city centre!

Anyway, I can hear afternoon prayers being announced, so I better get out of this coffee shop before they close!  Or the Mutaween (religious police) will be after me.

TP

P.S:  Escaped the mutaween and took a lift to the top of the second of the main towers, Al-Faisaliah, before navigating my way home using some basic Arabic.

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