Getting Ready to say 'Farewell Little Monsters'

The title of this post might be a bit premature as we still have 4 official weeks left until the kids leave, but actually they won't turn up for the last two so I feel now that the end is nigh. I have to say I'm already feeling a bit sad about it. In Korea I only ever got to know the kids for 10 days at the most, so its been a new experience for me teaching 26 students for a whole year. As you might remember, at the beginning I absolutely despised the boys here. They were so undisciplined and rude that it was horrendous. But through a slow and steady drip of kindness, humour, rewards and a LOT of smack down, I now have lovely students who listen to me, enjoy my classes and crack me the hell up.
One of the turning points in me realising I might learn to love these boys was when one of them was sick in the class and another pointed at the pile of puke and said (insert Arab accent) 'teacher, corn flakes!'
A recent spelling word was 'moist,' which I explained by saying it meant 'a little bit wet.' The students looked confused so I elaborated by adding that it's like the wet stuff on your head after you play football.
So now, every time they come in from break, they show me foreheads and sometimes even arm pits, and say 'teacher, I have moist!' It just makes me laugh every time.

The girls class have been a constant throughout the year. Screechy, needy, full of endless stories, but also sweet and easily amused. This week they cut out and coloured planets and I set them homework to write about the solar system, to present to the class the next day.
One girl, aged eight, stood up and began to attempt to read a large passage of information beginning thus:

The solar system consists of the sun and its planetary system of eight planets, their moons and other non-stellar objects. It formed 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of a giant molecular cloud.

It went on for another 100 words or so; you gotta love the old copy and paste from the internet.

Another girl presented this picture with pride:



Well done on the research

She told the class how each of the planets were feeling. The Earth is feeling sleepy, Neptune is feeling dancing, Uranus is feeling funny. 
I stopped her halfway with a subtle 'Thank you Yara, that's great,' but she responded with 'teacher, I not finish.' Then she carried on until she'd read everything on the page. 

Sometimes this job is too funny. There are moments where I want to kill someone and overall it's been a real roller coaster, but that's mainly due to the staff and the company.
One thing's for sure,  when I leave I'll really miss the little monsters that have made this place worth coming to.  

Loving the Dull Times

I've been thinking lately about the idea of "looking forward to things." When I was about seven years old I remember being freaked out when I realised that all things come to an end, no matter how long you look forward to them beforehand. For example, I would be excited for months about going away on holiday in the summer, and then all of a sudden it would come and go and I'd be like, Oh, it's over. I think sometimes the act of looking forward to something can eclipse the thing itself- if you get overly excited you're at risk of disappointment when the event arrives. There's also the age old problem of "time flies when you're having fun."
I guess this is on my mind because of the way my life is here. Sure, we're lucky to be able to afford lots of holidays, but it's tiring spending all the time in between just looking forward to them. And then inevitably they're gone in a flash. That's just the way it goes. Also I think being a teacher makes you see your life in blocks. Getting through that lesson, or that day, or that semester. Looking forward to Wednesday (that's Friday to you) and feeling a sense of dread when Friday night comes (the Sunday night blues). And it's weird because I don't even dislike my job, it's almost just an automatic reaction to 'going back to school.'

A quote from Catch 22 on the subject:

"Maybe a long life does have to be filled with many unpleasant conditions if it's to seem long. But in that event, who wants one?"

In a place where I constantly live for the holidays, I like to try and savour the boring/ down-right awful moments. I don't like to wish things away, and am also aware that in a few weeks I'll leave this place forever and hopefully will look back with some fond memories(?!)

My plan is this: to savour and secretly enjoy every moment, whilst tricking my brain into believing I'm not enjoying them. Also to not think too much about holidays but to let them creep up on me. Then I'll have a slow and fun life! Ha! 


Anyway, enough rubbish. Here's my holiday video. It's my second attempt at movie making, and I think it's a little better than the last one.

Make Someone Else Do It

Last Tuesday we took the kids on a trip. We were told of this two days before, and given an Arabic consent form to hand out. I was informed neither of what time we were going or where in fact we were going. I was simply told we're going on a trip. But such is the Saudi way.
We went to a activity centre in a mall, where the kids went into different areas to paint, cook and play. It was actually really good and there were staff running each activity, which made it easier on us. My class of boys went around with two others classes, which meant there were quite a lot of kids.
 


Look at my boys so good colouring in their pots

I noticed immediately that it was only the three western teachers accompanying the students to the activities. At the second station (cooking) we began to wonder where are those other teachers?
Then I looked out the window....
 




Can you see what I saw?

That's right! All the other staff-and I mean ALL the other staff- were sitting around drinking coffee and eating pizza. We went to see why and to see if someone else wanted to help the kids for a while. We were met with a crowd of stubborn and quite angry women who were unwilling to help out, based on the fact they'd been told the staff had it under control. But three classes of these boys with two adults simply isn't a good ratio. They needed us and it was probably just the company policy to say they didn't need help. In my opinion it was a bit dangerous to leave the boys unsupervised as they enjoy to run and kick and hit a lot. Being told they 'didn't have to work' however,  provided the perfect excuse for my colleagues to sit on their bums and do nothing.  
When we pushed the fact that someone else needed to go and help, the Saudis just started shouting at an Egyptian assistant, telling her she needed to go. Pass the blame, pass the responsibility.

As if this wasn't enough to prove the absolute laziness that exists here, I then witnessed this:

Guess what?

One of the Saudi women had brought her toddler along for the trip. As well as sitting on her butt the entire time talking to her friends, she actually got the maids to look after her child!


In the last week there's been a bit of panic at work regarding illegal workers. Illegal working is a massive problem here mainly for Pakistani, Indian and Egyptian women who come here with their spouses and then want to seek employment. It's generally cheaper for the employers to take them on illegally, rather than applying to change their visas, and so this is what happens. Not to mention that they then have no rights, which suits the companies fine. Last week there were rumours that police were coming into schools and checking papers, and that illegal workers were being thrown into prison or deported. As you can imagine, the seven women who come under the 'illegal worker' bracket at my school, were pretty freaked out and all stayed at home for a couple of days until things blew over.
The Saudis on the other hand appeared pretty smug about the whole thing. They seem to think foreigners are 'taking all the jobs.' The fact is that people from Asian countries such as India and the Philippines who work here do a lot of the menial jobs and are paid almost as slaves. Try 80 pounds a month for a full time job.
I'm so tired of the racism here. It's like they don't even see these people as real people. And the joke is, a lot of the people who come over here to work are actually Muslims and they are still treated like inferior beings.
I find myself fantasising about all the immigrants leaving overnight. Because I'm absolutely sure that the following day Saudi Arabia would grind to a very abrupt halt.

Away to Cyprus in the Crisis

We've just come back from nine days on holiday in Cyprus. It was so nice to do normal things- to go to a bar, to be treated like real person by men and to not wear an abaya. I was a bit of a rebel and didn't even wear my abaya to the airport this time. I took the plunge because as soon as you get on the plane you take it off anyway and then are stuck having to carry it around for the rest of the holiday. I just had to ignore all the staring at the airport and pretend I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. But I have to say I wouldn't do it without my 'bodyguard' Lee there.

We stayed with our parents near Larnaca in a lovely apartment. It was so much more comfortable than staying in a hotel and it meant going out for a meal could be a treat rather than a necessity. The weather was warmer than expected, and we even had a few days lounging by the pool. The water was f-f-freezing, but we had to swim in it after forcing the letting agents to fill it up! Their arguments of  'no one swims in Cyprus in March' were met with protests by us of "We will- we're British!"

A pretty picture of the storm we had on the first day

It was a bit weird being on holiday in a country that was in the midst of a financial mega crisis. Trust us to choose to go there at exactly that time! Most bars and restaurants were quiet and there was more drowning of sorrows going on than partying. We met people who didn't know if they would ever see their savings again. We were also told by the bowling alley down the road that they might not be open the following week, depending on what happened. Everything was pretty tense. As far as I know it's worked out OK in the end, but being there in the middle of it was pretty strange.

A holiday with my Dad always means a trip into history and Cyprus definitely has a story to tell. The island is still divided, with the north occupied by the Turkish. It reminded me a little of North/South Korea although thankfully less extreme. There's a fence dividing the two parts, a no-mans-land, and soldiers patrolling each side. We drove to an area where you can get a good view of the 'ghost city' of Famagusta, which has been uninhabited since the Turkish invasion in the summer of 1974. Just before the Turks attacked, the Greek-Cypriot residents of the city fled to nearby areas. The freaky thing about Famagusta is that people thought they would be able to return to their homes after a week, but actually they're still waiting to this day. From afar, the city looks eerie and quiet, almost like you can feel how empty it is. I would love to have walked around it but you can't get anywhere near it without risking being shot.
 

The ghost town

 

We also spent some time shopping and eating in Aiya Napa and Larnaca. Aiya Napa has a nice harbour and beach, and Larnaca a lovely promenade.

So that's it really. It was a great holiday with good food, good weather and good company. In fact I wish I was still there!
I'm going to attempt to make another mini-movie at some point, so watch this space...

Beauty is in the eye of the Nation

When I spend time at home now I feel thoroughly left behind by the fashions and make-up. In England the trend is to be tanned (sometimes teetering on orange) and of course to strive always to be mega thin. In other countries, however, the idea of what beauty is may be totally different. In Korea I was called fat on countless occasions (boohoo) because girls-and often boys- are pint sized there. In Saudi Arabia many women are overweight and men seem to prefer them that way. So now I'm skinny!
In Korea white skin is favoured, to the point where some people actually put white make up on. Skin whitening products are also readily available. In Saudi Arabia, there's a tendency to look down on people with darker shades of skin.
In terms of fashion, Koreans like to dress the same as each other- short shorts, t-shirts (no shoulders please!) and high heels no matter what the occasion or weather. Here is Saudi there's a mega obsession with designers and expensive jewellery. It's all about how you look and what you're wearing, ironic because most of the time all that is seen by others is a burka.
Eyes are another interesting area. Often in Korea I saw adverts for eye surgery and it's common knowledge that most celebrities and a fair few regular people too have it done.

In Saudi the eye-related beauty measures are less extreme, but still entertaining. They wear loads of mascara and even more eye liner and I think it's maybe because this is one of the only areas where they can express their personality and show an element of individuality.
 

They also have big eyebrows, often pencilled in or with the lower hairs bleached blonde. A bit weird, but I still prefer it to the 'plucked to within an inch of your life' eyebrows that some girls opt for at home.

I guess what I'm trying to say in all this is that beauty is subjective, and that there really it's just silly to feel pressured into follow a certain fashion or idea, because often one countries glamour is another's shit. Just go to a different country! And on top of that, a nation itself is constantly evolving in terms of what's fashionable or beautiful, and if you've cut half your eyelids off in the quest then you're gonna find it a bit problematic to change them back when the time comes. Just sayin'.
    

A Day at the Races

Last Friday we went to Riyadh equestrian club (sounds so posh) to watch the horse racing. I've never been to a racetrack before so it was quite exciting. It was nice to see something aesthetically pleasing in this city.

 

The track complete with fountain 

 

We had an amazing buffet lunch in the V.I.P area, where us girls were allowed to take off our abayas. A dear diary moment! Although a little strange as all the Saudi men down on the ground could see us...

Betting is, naturally, illegal in the KSA so we had to have a little bet of our own on our table. The lucky winner was to become the proud owner of the carrot of glory, the horserace guidebook and about 4 riyals (less than a pound). Exciting times!

I was like- who's that weird guy? (it's the king)
 

 One does have to wonder exactly what the point is of a racecourse without gambling? I'm not the biggest fan of gambling but I can't deny it does spice things up somewhat. Otherwise, who really cares who wins?
We soon realised that gambling would be a bit pointless anyway, even if it wasn't haram (forbidden). The winner of the first race we watched was a horse called Hattrick. We looked in the guidebook to see who it was owned by. Can you guess? Yes, it was in fact one of the Kings horses. A lucky coincidence? We paid close attention to the next few races and sure enough, the Kings horses won all of them. Takes the edge of the excitement somewhat, and also renders betting pointless. Evens anyone?
I was reminded very much of one of my favourite Disney films, in which everyone has to make absolutely sure that a certain Queen wins the game of croquet, for fear of losing their heads. Could a similar situation be going on here? The King winning all the races. Check. People getting their heads chopped off. Check.

 

All in all it was a really great day out. Nice company, a change of scenery from the four walls of our prison, and some lovely food. I think if you search hard enough, there are some things here that aren't entirely hateful :)

Korea

I wasn't a blogger when I lived in Korea, and in some ways I regret that. Mainly because I have a terrible memory, and blogging is like a sort of diary. I'm sure I've already forgotten half of the funny and weird and great things that happened in the 14 months that I lived there.

So, Korea, this post is for you.

What I miss:

• The Karaoke rooms
• The fact that the karaoke rooms were open 24 hours
• Kimchee Chigae (sp?) and all you can eat bbq
• My friends- oh how I miss my friends!
• Hanging outside convenience stores drinking soju
• The snow
• The mountains
• The leaves
• I sometimes miss my job. Having to dress up as an air hostess and lead the kids into a plane cabin, or putting on a newspaper fashion show, or playing dodgeball.
• The cats we looked after: Gingee, Maul, Bo and Harry. You were so evil but so cute.





 



 



Quirks I miss:

• That all KPop music has set dance moves that the kids loved to perform in our talent shows.
• The obsession with never showing your shoulders, but wearing shorts so short your (little Korean) bum hangs out.
• Children gasping at my 'white face' or being pleased with (and touching) my 'big nose.'
• Korea's still developing acknowledgement of special needs. For example sending a boy in a wheelchair to the airplane class, where the only options for getting into the cabin were to a) climb the stairs or b) get someone to push you up the steep emergency exit ramp (which the students enthusiastically offered to do)
• Bars that buy a red wine fridge with the sole purpose of keeping red wine nice and chilled

Things I realise I loved, now that I live in Saudi Arabia:

• Freedom not to wear an abaya!
• Going to football/ baseball games
• An array of cocktails (and alcohol in general)
• That the kids were mostly angels
• Talking to men
• Having men look me in the eye
• Not being told off for waiting in the street
• Being able to buy a Christmas tree
• Feeling like I had a life

So that's it really. Maybe I'm looking back with rose tinted spectacles, or maybe my feelings are purely situational, but I have to say- Korea, I miss you!