More Than This

I have finally hit my first wall after another good, productive and slightly shortened week.  Feeling high on my ability to cope with the culture and the demands on us as teachers, I had a few 'home made' drinks (only the second time I have consumed alcohol since I have been here) out at a compound on the eastern side of the city.  A night which was originally just meant to be about visiting another hotel and checking out a wedding video I had put together, turned into a longer session surrounded by mostly middle-aged female nurses, who were in post baby-shower party mode.  It was partly worth the trip but was spoiled by the general antics of some participants.  By the end, I was being Mr.Sensible, making sure my fellow boys were safely in a taxi and, subsequently, back at the hotel.  Today (Thursday) I have a cold, but I will attempt to shake it off before returning to work on Saturday.

The working week had been shortened again, by royal decrees announced by King Abdullah.    Again, the announcements are better summarised by http://saudiwoman.wordpress.com/.  


A big thank you for not taking in protests, the further monetary incentives and 'bribes' seem to keep the patroitism flying, but it is still not enough for some.  However, as saudiwoman commented, "I’m not worried {though}. Good things come to those who wait. What with 125,000 Saudi students abroad being exposed to a world beyond a Saudi life deeply entrenched in prideful denial, traditions and the opposite of critical thinking. And then about 40% of the population under 14 being raised in the new media age, change is just a matter of time."

Back on campus, this week's critical thinking exercises continued with socratic dialogues about fallacies, which worked very well once they had agreed to be videoed.  I was very happy with the way the 'pracitce' for next week's assessment turned out, on a day when most students drifted of early to study for their maths exam the following day.  I do feel that there is more than just teaching some of these young adults about 'English'... my sociological background infuses some of the discussions.  I am loving teaching my main class - the Level 6's - even more so that two-thirds are registering to take IELTS exams in a months time.  I still wish the Level 7's would show more motivation than they do.  The only two who turned up yesterday asked for permission to go to a mosque for prayers for the sister of one of my other students, who suddenly died.


I lost my teaching partner, Riaz, this week.  He suddenly ended up in hospital after a slip in one of the slippery bathrooms on campus.  He aggrevated a dodgy knee and it is unlikely we shall we see him at work for a couple of weeks.  I raised the issue of his classroom having a series of cover teachers... because it is not good for me or the students.  I may have to do more IELTS prep with my class and, if possible, teach them for longer.  



This week, the first tentative enquiries about interest in returning to the project went out.  I declared my own interest, although I don't feel in my heart of hearts that I will return.  Although it will prove to be a successful contract for me, I think I need to move onto something else.  In the meantime, I was offered 6 weeks at the Leys and, despite initially thinking I wouldn't do this summer, I have accepted once more - it is my second home, after all.  It also acts as something to fall back on should I leave this project early, for whatever reasons.  I don't believe on this occasion I will do a 'Michael Yardy' - my confidence is generally high and in tact - such a difference from just a couple of months ago.  Why certain situations work and others don't, I can never be entirely sure.  But I do know some of the factors which help.  Sunshine is one of them.

I certainly got plenty of exposure to the sun at the 'Edge of the World' last Friday.  A long journey into the desert, including an hour long rally across soft sands.  Our 2WD sedan got stuck in the Acacia Valley Wadi and had to be rescued.  Luckily two 4WDs were on hand - one to pull the vehicle free and another with spare seats to take us the rest of the way.  The 'Edge of the World' is a colloquial name for an area of high rocks and vantage points over a barren, 'wadi' landscape.  Beautiful, rocky scenery. Dry and precarious.  Popular with 'hashers', and a decent BBQ.  It is good to get out of the city and it counts as my weekly exercise (I still haven't joined a gym, and a swimming pool still remains elusive - terrible excuse, because they do exist in gyms and at compounds).   

One of the nurses at the compound I visited on Wednesday commented about the neccessity to join all the ex-pat communities.  She had been living there for a couple of years and the compound obviously gave her a little piece of home - an oasis in the desert.  But I can't help feeling that being an ex-pat comes with a certain exclusivity that keeps them separate.  They scoffed at the fact we were living in a hotel by choice.  The Hash, equally, has strong elements of an ex-pat coping device.  I can take it AND leave it.  I happy enough in my hotel room, with Luke.  I am more than happy enough with the job I am doing. Life is generally good!

TP

Diet for Deity

It is the end of week 5 of teaching in the second semester.  There are 3 more weeks before the students have a mid-term break and the teachers have the 'joy' of yet another Professional Development Week.

Continuous Assessment is underway and the first of the Self-Learning asssessments have taken place.  Students are naturally very keen to do well in these as they all contribute to overall marks.  My 'top' class, however, have marks in the bag for passing IELTS exams last semester and are, subsequently,  unmotivated to learn anything new.  It has been frustrating getting them to do anything.  Class management is an issue, but generating interest in topics is the key.  The 'holy trinity' (sex, politics, religion)  has to be avoided, but i love crossing the line occasionally into subject matter which interests them, without causing offence or getting myself into hot water.  I know for a fact that most of my students from both classes are interested in the political unrest around the region.  I often walk into a darkened classroom with students gathered around YouTube watching the latest highlights of amateur footage from Bahrain, Yemen or Libya.  Clearly this is something that the university do not want the students to participate in and, from next week, classrooms will be locked and only accessible by a teacher with a swipe 'smart' card. I made my first official complaint this week but I hope that nobody else needs to get involved and that I am left to manage the class how I see fit.  Having the lack of a suitable textbook is an issue because there is no structure to what I am teaching, so I have to be resourceful and creative each day.  But, hey... I like that!


Away from campus, I attended my 3rd session on cultural awareness.  It was back to Al-Hamra mosque, near to the hotel, for a discussion about Sawm 'fasting' during Ramadan.  During this time, muslims should avoid food, drink and "sex with their spouse(s)" during daylight hours.  The discussion devloped, understandably, into a general discussion about the merits of abstention.  God (Allah) states in the Qur'an:  "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those before you that you may learn self-restraint." (Qur'an 2:183)

As ever, I found the discussion fascinating, but ultimately believe the idea is bonkers.   Because all roads lead to Allah and that this entity knows everything that you do, you can only do it with your heart.  I accept the idea of absention is prevailant in most dominate faiths.  I accept the precept of self-denial to obtain some kind of god-consciousness but denying yourself sustinance results in physical, metabolic changes and malfunctions in the brain which could be taken as spiritual enlightenment.   

Once again, I spoke with Ilyas Foy (pictured above), who I find very engaging.  He explained his initial dislike of the period of Ramadan, but that out of duty it was something he had to get used to.  Giving up smoking, which is also haram during this time, was his biggest hurdle.  Again, I can appreciate the physical benefits of not smoking, without seeing it as a distraction on the path to 'god-consciousness'.   These sessions do nothing to convince me to become a muslim or join any other faith for that matter.  I remain agnostic because I can't prove that any deity exists.  But the mere fact that so many people do believe, for whatever misguided reason(s) they have, affects any decision to 'become' athiest.  Islam, in particular, has some characteristics, most notably in terms of obedience and discipline, but these are outweighed by irrational folk tales, very illiberal laws and a wholescale removal of 'free will' as epitomised by the constant reference to 'Inshallah'.

With a successful clampdown on all unrest in the Kingdom, and no significant political protests in on the horizon, it looks likely that I won't becoming home early.  Saudi troops have gone into Bahrain to help prevent more unrest from the majority Shia population.   Students remain fascinated, but their interest is merely as curious observers.  The desire to study abroad remains strong, but this due to the fact that the King pays their tuition fees, wherever in the world they go.  
 
Getting out of Riyadh for a day is still very much an option, and on Friday I venture to a place called 'Edge of the World', two weeks after my first sojourn into the desert.  


In the meantime, it is the weekend.  A chance to relax, get my laundry sorted out and prepare for week 6.  That's all from me for now, except to say that  a couple of the other guys in the Baron have blogs, filled with pictures.  Check 'em out here:



Mikey Kettle's blog:

http://mikeket.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/route-de-la-morte/

Kevin Smith's blog:


http://unable.tumblr.com/

 

Shifting Sands

It's Thursday 10 March 2011.  Tomorrow is the planned 'day of rage' in Riyadh.  I am out of the loop on information about where and when to meet for the planned protests.  I will, therefore, probably stay at home all day.  It's probably a blessing in disguise, because there are inherent risks in getting involved in any illegal action.  Protesting was officially banned a week ago.  Some fear that the Facebook campaign to generate unrest is actually a secret police ploy to entrap likely protestors.  Of course, I have no intention of causing any trouble, but we heard that the female campus staff had been given their passports back just in case and one or two schools within the male campus had checked with staff about 'exit strategies'.

Saudiwoman reports that Sa'ad Al-Faqih, "an extreme anti-royal who has dedicated his life to hating the Saudi monarchy", is likely to be blamed.  She goes on, "He has his own satellite channel where the only program is him sitting behind a laptop and lecturing about the evils of the Al Saud family and taking in calls from Saudis who pledge allegiance to him and to his hate. Last time [she] checked his channel he was saying that if you miss a prayer or commit a sin you can redeem yourself to God by spreading Al Faqih’s message!" 

The past two weeks (3 & 4 of the semester) have been interesting.  Classes have settled down and I have got completely on top of my Level 6 class, the one for which I am most responsible.  My Level 7s have been a bit of a nightmare but I had a breakthrough moment this week when I successfully class-managed the disruptive elements and got some teaching done.  Discussions are the order of the day, except the topics I touch upon - marriage - steer over the boundary rope of appropriacy.  Sex, Politics and Religion remain the key 'holy trinity' of topics to avoid... but I feel justified in touching upon each of these without digressing too much.. provided I continue to use my disclaimer that my views are not being represented and that students are not to ask me for my views, either.

The teachers got an extraordinary lecture the other day by a man giving a good impression of a dictator losing control of power; Gadaffi anyone?  I couldn't possibly divulge any details, although it was certainly de-motivational and ridiculously authoritarian.  My favourite quote concerned the upcoming mid-semester exams.  When invigilating, we are supposed to make sure we have the correct number of virgins (sic) in the class.  A simple mispronunciation of the word 'version' caused many a titter around the auditorium. 

As for my mental state, I am coping well with all the pressures and last minute changes which occur at work.  The sunshine definitely counts for at least 10 mg of escitalopram, as I predicted it would.  Looking back at my Bedgebury experience in January, it all seems like I was suffering from little more than SAD (seasonally affected disorder) and only operating at 50% - which is not sufficient for my professional needs.  Yesterday, we would asked by the university to go to the National Museum.  The reason was totally unclear so we had to summise that it was merely a photo opportunity and/or an educational exercise.  But it detracted from other mandatory tasks, like lesson planning and carrying out Self-Learning classes.  We were late back and I had to rush through the lesson, without the usual preparation time. But I performed my duties, while other teachers returned to an empty class with no students to teach.  The museum was actually rather good, but we had too little time there, so it was frustrating and no explanation was given as to why a select bunch (with names copied and pasted from a spreadsheet) had to take part in this 'mandatory' trip.

Last Friday, a few of us took a trip to out the proper desert - the red sands north of the city.  I can't write too much about it because of the nature of the group - the Hash House Harriers - in this conservative country... but I can say that it is a running and social club, which begun in Malaysia in 1938.  It is the kind of thing I wouldn't normally do... it was good to get out of the city and do some walking in the desert.. plenty of photo opportunities.... but I don't think the 'social' side of it fully appeals to me... it's fairly cliquey.  By definition, a clique is a subset of individuals in which every person is connected to every other person (see also social network theory).  It can also be considered as an inclusive group of people who share interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity.  I remember writing about 'guanxi' this time last year, while in Beijing.  This was kind of similar to the group of people I came across at the compound barbeque event in that city, back in April last year.  It's an ex-pat thing - how to survive in an otherwise barren or repressive landscape. Menorcian cricket club, anyone??

So, my attitude remains positive.  I get a daily buzz from being here.  How I manage to "keep my head" while others around are "losing theirs and blaming it on {the University}', to quote Kipling, I don't know.  But I do.  I got paid on 1 March, getting a free ride up to the office to collect my salary in hard currency.  It was a good feeling.  Luke Phillips also moved in with me into 401 on the same day and we paid one months rent up front.  I get 3000 SAR allowance but, by sharing, my room only costs me 1750 SAR, so I can pocket the difference.  The money I save on the Jallal minibus (5 SAR each time) is also a bonus.  Provided we are not asked to leave the country or I do anything that warrants my exportation, and I stay here until the planned leaving date of 27 June, then I should be able to take home around 42,000 SAR (GBP 7,000). Maybe more with holiday paid in-lieu.  Now, that has got to be something to smile about!

TP