I'm back TOO!

Hi Steve,

Seems like a while since I was on here. In fact, so much has happened since then that I find it hard to believe that I was in Eritrea for 2 months earlier this year. At the moment I am working as a year 11 prevocational maths and computers teacher at the Australian Technical College,http://www.atcgc.qld.edu.au/ Gold Coast. However, I finish up next week and then get ready to go to... Ghana! I'm going to be volunteering there for 2 years with VSO, so I look forward to that.

Also, Noriko is coming with me, so I will have some company. It is quite exciting for both of us and we can't wait. I'll be in more of a teacher trainer role this time and will be positioned in Jirapa, a small town in the northern region.
http://maps.google.com/maps?myprofile=&sa=N&hl=en&tab=gl

Will have internet in Ghana so I will be able to keep posting and upload images when I can! Keep posting Steve. How was Japan? Nihon wa dou datta?

Jya ne,
Aaron yori

Total Solar Eclipse

Last week on July 22nd at 9:38am I experienced a total solar eclipse! It was my first and maybe my last but it was quite an incredibly feeling. The sky began to become dark around 8:15am and by 9:38am it was completely pitch black. The total eclipse lasted seven minutes where all of Shanghai was in darkness and all the buildings had their lights on. It really was amazing. A picture cannot describe the eclipse as all you will see is a ‘night shot’ scene which could have been shot anywhere. This total eclipse was the longest one that we will experience in the 21st century so I was pretty pleased to have been part of it. :)

I'm back!

After a few months of absence with thanks to the GFC (Geelong Football Club…Global Financial Crisis…Great Firewall of China) I am once again able to post! Don’t ask me how but it is because I have worked out a way to avoid the website block and securely log-in !
I’ll make the latest update quick.
I finished up at my last job mid June and boy can I tell you that I am very pleased about that. Was a difficult few months being treated by the students as if you are a nobody. I start my new job at YK Pao School in about three to four weeks and although I know I am up against the “selfish” Chinese student, I have my own class from Monday to Friday where I can groom them to become pleasant, caring and sharing folk  Well, that’s the plan! More info in my next update.
In August I am off to Japan for about five days to catch up with Mr. James Packer, the reborn Yank from San Antonio. I’ll be staying in Tokyo with him and his cuz and will be spending some time in a Capsule Hotel which Japan is famous for. Should be awesome! This will be my third visit to Japan so I can’t wait!

I also bought an electric powered scooter! It's more like a modern looking vespa but has an elecric motor which powers it. I can get about 55km/h and can travel around 60kms on a full charge which is as simple as plugging the battery into any electric wall socket. It's a fantastic way to get around and see Shanghai, as well as do the shopping and odds and ends around the city.

Mega Lazy!

Well not in my day to day life but in keeping this blog up to date. Apologies to those who enjoy the regular read. I’ll really try to make a greater effort to write more.

I guess lots to comment on so I’ll keep it brief and to the point. (Don’t think that’s possible for me but I’ll try)

Philippines
Went to Manila a few weeks back with April for a 5 day break. April was there for work but I tagged along to enjoy a few days rest by the pool and do some cheap shopping. Was a really relaxing holiday and made me want summer to come quickly. Even April got a few days to chill out. We chose not to venture out into Manila at all instead using our free time to sip cocktails by the pool… was AWESOME!

Weather
Shanghai is really starting to warm up. Tomorrow’s temperature is predicted to rise to 31 and this weekend we are looking at consecutive days above 32! April’s weather has been nothing short of stunning. Blue skies, light wind, low to mid 20s and low humidity making it similar to a Melbourne autumn. May brings warmer weather and I think June brings the high humidity with the rest of summer being absolutely scorching. I finish up at school on June 19th so two months holidays here I come!

Teaching
In my previous post I discussed in length my teaching and experiences. Well, since then I have resorted mainly to ‘force’ in getting what I want. Some of the students I teach are quite rude, uninterested and quite lazy which is no surprise when you are 14 years old. Unfortunately I have to teach them. When I get sick of a student’s behavior usually what I do is pick them up by their collar and lightly push them towards to the door of the classroom, throw them out and leave them there for the rest of the lesson to be seen by all the teachers passing by. Upon making them leave, I swiftly slam the door as loud as I can which brings a complete silence over the class as I make an example of the ‘naughty’ student. Other times I throw students books out the door, throw their maths, science or any other books they shouldn’t be writing in on the floor with an over exaggerated Shane Warne flick of the wrist. The action always receives the response I am hoping for, silence. On the matter of respect, I really doubt my ways bring that, but short term thinking, I get what I want and that’s how it works here in some classes. Quite often I have to dish out massive servings to blank faces. Sometimes I wonder why I do it, but it makes me feel better, lol. Quite often word gets back to their classroom teacher and students come to my office in tears apologising. Obviously their teacher must have tore them to shreds and when I mean by ‘tore them to shreds’ I can say the teachers here really bust a kid down when ‘he’ has been ‘naughty’ with a 30 ~ 45 minute self esteem “you’re life is over if this continues” crushing session.
So there lies my first four months in Chinese classrooms, quite the learning curve ay?
On a positive note so as not to make you all think I am struggling to survive here, many lessons have been outstanding and a real credit to the kids. I have shown them Aussie Rules Footy and we have completed quizzes and talked about the game. Later in the term I may even play a game or two. The students were asked to describe the game using as many adjectives as they can. Here is what they came up with:

- Dangerous
- Rough
- Fast
- Exciting
- Funny
- Interesting
- Enjoyable
- Silly
- Rude (a players shorts went up his a$$ and gave him a wedgie)

The students were utterly fascinated at the tackling and the boys were in fits of laughter watching the players grab and throw each other to the ground!
Just this week I am having the students present their stories they created in groups. Some of the stories which are read using a narrator and involve characters which are acted out in front of the class have been outstanding. The level of English, thought and creativity has been great to see and demonstrates the efforts some kids are willing to put in. Maybe I should have filmed some… maybe next time.

Back in a week or two… I promise.

Being back is a bit weird...

Well,

Having been back in Aussie for about 2 weeks, there was a bit of reverse culture shock that I had to go through. Just talking with some mates recently too, they noted that after you have been on an amazing journey like this, you want to come back and tell everyone about it. But, what you find, is that people don't really find it that interesting. Do they care to hear about 'people having to use rocks to wipe their bum?' or 'a stranger inviting you into their house and forcing you to join him for a meal, even when they hardly have enough for themselves?' Not really. I guess it's more interesting to me because I have actually been there, and actually seen it.

But there is a good point in this for teaching too. If, for example, I brought some pictures to show, or some local music to listen to, or some food to taste, would people be more interested? Perhaps. By stimulating more senses do people become more interested? And could you use this to engage more students?

I'm in the middle of trying to make a video documentary to send to Matthewos for him to keep as a record of the work he is doing there. I just feel lucky to have been able to be a part of what is happening and to have the chance to learn so much about education. When it's done (it's not that easy, hey) i'm going to ship some copies to Eritrea, but I might also send some to UNESCO and UNICEF to see if they are interested in funding him. Maybe even the SBS/ABC??

So Steve, i'll be back in Africa, Ghana this time, in September. In the meantime, I might be able to fill in for someone at the Maths Association of Victoria, which will help me put some money away. How are things with you?

Dissapointing I know...

Yeah Steve, it was a bit shock for me too. It was a bit unclear as to why we never got our work permit, and I doubt we'll ever hear the whole story. Of course, one speculates on these things, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to publish it here. Let's just say that the Ministry of Education staff who had done all they could, and the VSO Program Office Staff who tried their best, were all looking a little shell shocked and were very apologetic about the incident. One of the Eritrean MoE officials, who had been very polite and honest with us, provided us with his heartfelt condolences. That was one of the things that really grabbed me about Eritrea. The people were very genuine in their care and respect for each other. I'm sorry that I won't get to spend more time there, but I hope to go back some day.

Well, if Ghana eventuates, I can keep this blog going. It's a good thing that I called it 'White men in "Africa" and China' rather than 'White men in "Eritrea" and China,' because that means that I won't have to change the title.

I'm heading back to Australia this Wednesday and hope to share the story of Matthewos and his Science Club with as many people as I can. I just learnt so much from what he has been able to achieve. I really will miss those kids because they were absolutely great. So responsive to feedback, polite, friendly, funny, cheeky. I will miss those little buggers!

Last 2 days in Cairo ahead of me. I hope that I can avoid becoming a splattered corpse on the road just that little bit longer, and leave this crazy, hectic place in safety!

Teaching through fear

Wow Aaron, I am shocked to hear you are leaving after only a few months. What’s the reason for the work permits not being extended? Good news about maybe heading to Ghana in the near future and good luck with all the travels, sounds great!

Here in Ch!na things have been getting quite interesting in the schools. I have jumped on board the Ch!nese discipline bandwagon and have received instant results (not that I am that pleased with my approach) and I have been having great discussions with the kids about homework and the pressure of school.

After today’s episode in the primary school, I thought it would be best to write another blog entry seeing as though it has been a number of weeks since my last. Just this afternoon I was at my wits end with a number of students who refused to pay any attention to me so I took them through a huge speal about how their parent’s pay a fortune for them to attend here, they are wasting their classmates and my time and the disrespect shown towards my authority in the classroom, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Warnings had been given that I won’t tolerate the behavior and that two strikes means “you’re out” of the classroom. It reached that point this afternoon and I threw three kids out after seeking assistance from a fellow colleague where we almost had to drag one child out. Their actual classroom teacher who was in my colleagues classroom appeared and then had a chat to them outside. The students re-entered and apologized and we got on with the class. Time will tell if the message has gotten through. Various episodes like this have been going on the past few weeks in my middle school as well where I have thrown kids out of class. It seems the only way to get through to the students and send a message to the others about the seriousness of mucking around and the consequences that result in the behavior is through fear. Time will tell…
This leads me to my next point where I can start with an incredible observation I made today. It has taken me almost 8 weeks to notice this but there is a 13 year old student in one class who is going grey and when I mean grey I don’t mean a few grey hairs, I mean she actually has more white/grey hair than black! I wondered for a moment if it was a fashion thing but Chinese schools are conservative and realised coloured hair was not allowed. I sought clarification with her English teacher and surely enough she is going grey at 13!! Her teacher claimed that this was due to her mother not looking after her and not washing her hair. I asked if maybe it was due to pressure and stress and the teacher didn’t really respond. I have also noticed lots of kids with large portions of grey hair on their heads, even as young as 8 years old and knowing that of course grey and black do contrast, but this is such a phenomenon and confronting! Maybe all this is due to the pressure placed upon the children to succeed in a hugely competitive country such as this.
On homework; I have had many discussions with the students about homework and they have all commented on the large amounts they have to complete. As an example, the Victorian Government’s curriculum outlines state that year 3 and 4 students are expected to complete(if I remember correctly) at least 60 to 90 minutes homework a week whereas students here of the same age are expected to complete 60 to 90 minutes per night! Sunday is their free day. The contrast is staggering so sometimes I feel they almost have an excuse when they misbehave in my class when maybe they struggle to understand the fast talking laowei (foreign) teacher! You gotta give it to these kids, they work harder than what most of us did in school.

Till next time…

All over Red Rover

Well. this may be a bit of a shock for some of you.

Extremely unfortunately, we will not be recieving work permits and have been asked to go home. I hope I haven't done something to offend anyone. I know that I have been a little bit of a rebashi (trouble maker) but that's just to keep things interesting.

So, due to this unfortunate incident, I will be travelling through Eastern Africa a little earlier than I expected. The plan being:
To visit Egypt- ancient ruins and the red sea.
To safari through Eastern Africa- see gorrillas, Serengeti, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls, Okovango Delta, Cape Town etc.
Fly home to Melbourne from Johannesburg.

Then, after getting home, Australian Volunteers International have asked if I would be interested in a posting in Ghana. It just turns out that Ghana is the one place that I was already considering in my mind! Coincidence? I think not! So, I will need to consider it a bit more.

However, this time around I will be very prepared! I will have seeds to help me grow things, herbs and spices to help me cook, fold up shelves (ikea style) to help me store things and other little tid bits that I completely forgot about. Especially a black towel! I brought a bloody white one and every time I dry my hair it ends up red! And don't say that I should was my hair everyday because there isn't enough water!

So, Steve, I hope to continue writing this with you, but I may be contributing from Ghana instead, when the time comes.

Hope China is going well.

Mixed Feelings

It’s great to see that Aaron is loving it over in Eretria! I am having mixed feelings at the moment. Being a public forum, I have to be careful in how I tread so I’ll tackle the issues lightly.

I teach at two schools, one being a middle school and the other a primary school. Both are government run (as far as I know). Both schools are situated in up and coming middle class areas of Pudong in Shanghai. The primary school runs its usual classes, however, extra classes are offered at a price, to parents and these are the ones which I and other teachers take. They usually run one period before school finishes and one or two afterwards till around 4:45pm.

I am quite enjoying the middle school as I am free to teach pretty much what I want within a loose curriculum guideline which I adhere to. The students are well behaved and generally attentive, however, due to class streaming the “lower” classes do present a challenge in trying to engage them. A teacher at the school commented to me that I was “too nice” and I needed to “make the students scared of me” to get things done. I’ll return to this later.

At the primary school it is a completely different story. Many of the students are poorly behaved, some of these incredibly bright, others who really struggle. This could be due to those finding it boring and too easy and others finding it too hard. Tackling this will be an issue for me as I wish to engage all students, however, as per usual, time is always against me and language and cultural barriers strongly exist. However, in saying this, I am finding a certain level of disrespect shown by students towards teachers in school, including myself. Although the teachers seemed to get their way on the surface through fear, many of the students run the show here.

In saying all this, it brings me to a dilemma that as a professional, I am facing. It is clear in the primary school many of the students have limited respect for me (or as it shows) and my methods of management which have worked extremely effectively in Australian school settings are often coming undone. Approaching classroom management through a strong wellbeing and holistic approach seems to be breaking down as the students do not understand such an approach and coupled with the language barriers clearly “don’t get it”. Other teachers I work with, where this is their first teaching position, comment on methods they use which in a modern western sense may seem quite old fashioned. They include, making kids stand up for periods of a time, sending them to the back of the room, making them stare at the wall, writing lines and standing in the hallway etc. All methods I have almost never used before but am wondering if I am to gain some respect within the classroom do I need to as the famous saying goes “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” and administer classroom discipline the Chinese way? Is the teacher from the middle school correct in saying I need to “make them scared” even though I have complete and almost total respect from the students in this school and enjoy wonderful classroom experiences on a daily basis.
The above methods in my eyes are only surface band aid solutions that don't work towards long term answers that fix the problems or am I still fixated in approaching classroom management from a western perspective?

If there are any teachers reading this who have taught ESL in various countries, I would love to hear from you. Any advice would be great!

p.s - It can be easy to sometimes forget I am teaching entire classrooms of one child families!

Loving it!

I have been working with the students for a bit over a week now. My Tigrinya is getting much better and I am remembering the names of all the kids. They are so great and it is a real buzz to teach them. I can kind of understand why Mathewos dedicates so much time here (besides the fact that he is an extremely dedicated teacher.

You see, if I give a good lesson, they are sure to tell you. Not only that, they give me a clap! Also, if I practice Tigrinya in class, or tell them it is home time in Tigrinya, the whole class applauds. It's pretty cool.

Not only that, at the end of each day, everyone wants to shake my hand and say good bye. I think this is a bit of a novelty for them that teachers don't necessarily entertain, but I think it's cool. They are all growing in confidence and skill everyday. There are some brilliant students amongst them.

I just want to give you a brief summary of what school is like for most Eritrean students. This doesn't include what happens at Science Club though. Teachers have a text book, as do students, perhaps one between 3. The teacher writes the learning material on the board and the students copy. From what I have seen, if they don't understand, that's their bad luck. In English, the main focus is on spelling words correctly, and using correct grammar. You rarely speak to express yourself, or explain something, you rarely speak the language at all. As such, I guess things aren't much fun, and it is hard to learn. Depsite this, there are still some good students. And despite this, there are still some great teachers. And, like I said, Science Club is NOT like this.

Now, why haven't I provided any pictures, you ask? Any visual evidence about what I have said. Well, good question and I wish I could, but there are only certain times when the internet is quick enough to upload a picture, and I'm either fast asleep (like everyone else) or can't get to a computer. However, I promise I will try and get to one before I leave Asmara and head for Barentu. Check it all out on Google Maps.

So, to summarise, I have been learning a lot from my work already. I'm not really a teacher, i'm more of a learner, and that suits me fine. It's been a great experience, so Barentu has some pretty high standards to live up to!

Steve Bolton (an imaginary friend created from my admiration for 2 kingsbury teachers according to Mr Tyas) how are things in your neck of the woods. Settled in now a bit, hey? I bet the education side is a bit different where you are.

Teaching a class of 100

Well, before I got here I would have thought it not possible, but it can be done. After seeing Mateos run 3 grades at the Science club, with the help of some brilliant students. The large class sizes don't seem like to big a deal.

And in all honestly, it doesn't look like what I thought 100 kids would look like. I mean, there are 3 to a desk and about 4 rows of 7-8 desks. It's practically impossible to get up and move around, or to reorganise the furniture, but it is possible to learn.

I took a grade 6 class for a couple of hours today. The aim was for them to learn how to make friends. We did a simple dialogue using hand gestures to help understand the meaning of the words and the students practised in groups and presented to the class. They loved presenting!! It was a bit of a cat fight as each group wanted to go next. They were quite clever and involved a group of 6 to go through a 2 person dialogue. Then we read a story about a boy who didn't like his vegetables, or his rice, or his bread. But he loved his Injera! (a local dish). We looked at the varying degrees of liking something (love, like, okay, don't like, hate) and the students came up with things they did and didn't like.

They are a great class and I'm going back tomorrow to do some maths (I can sense your smile from here MR TYAS!) so I will see how they compare with Australian students! Their foreign language skills are a bit better, I can tell you that much.

If there are any Kingsbury kids who want to get in touch with me email me at azpeeters@gmail.com or you can send letters. Mrs Hinsley should have the address. Also, there should be a letter in the mail for you soon!

Cheers,
Aaron

Keeping you all up to date

Work has become easier of late and the “naughty” students seem to be finding a routine, although one boy did deicide to throw his book across the class the other day for whatever reason. I dealt with it accordingly and I think he now realises where the boundaries lie in what he can and cannot do.

As Aaron mentioned in his previous post about internet speeds, theoretically I am on a 2MB ADSL line which is slightly faster than what I had back in Melbourne but it is nothing like the speeds I am used to. In actual fact it is a painfully slow experience using the internet. Some say it’s the overwhelming traffic passing through the lines under the oceans to the US where the majority of websites are hosted; others suggest the Great F!rewall is in action. I did read in the paper today that China plans to rollout superfast broadband with 100MB lines but the way a 2MB line works here, I don’t think it will do much good if you plan on visiting foreign websites.

Hi Aaron. Shanghai is more a developing city but by no means developed. It is the financial hub of China vying for exclusivity with Hong Kong. I think if I was to venture to the rural areas I would be faced with a much different experience to what I get here.

Shanghai so far
- Cheap food
- Luxury goods are astronomically expensive
- Most Chinese wine is awful but a few well priced and drinkable bottles do exist
- Tsing Tao is cheap :D
- Efficient, reliable, prompt and clean public transport system which makes Melbourne’s system look third world (And I am actually understating when I say this)
- Cheap DVD’s
- The concept of putting ones rubbish in a bin hasn’t caught on here yet
- People are generally friendly
- I am a movie star on the street, especially when I wear sunglasses, lol
- Crossing the road is like having a death wish
- Many Chinese yell when they talk
- If you look past the main streets, Shanghai has some wonderful and amazing laneways full of creative and artistic designers selling a range of things from clothes to art.

Hope this gives people a feel of the place.

Waiting game...

Okay, starting to get a bit bored waiting for my permits to come through. It's not like I can't occupy myself. I've been out to schools to visit, to team teach, to chat to people. I've been practising my language skills (Tigrinya and Japanese. Sorry bahasa indonesia) meeting people for coffee, sharing some computer skills, but it would be nice to be able to go and get started.

I was talking to Siobhan today (pronounced shivonne) who is my partner in crime in Barentu (or will be if I ever get there) who is taking my classes until I get there. I've only got three classes of about 70-80 kids each, but as I haven't been there, they have basically been sitting there doing nothing until I arrive. No replacement teachers here if someone's away, they just sit and wait for the next lesson. So, they need a teacher quickly, and i'd really like to get down there to start meeting people and sorting out what kind of project can be set up for next semester.

There is one fancy hotel in Asmara- the Asmara Palace. I have been contemplating to go there for a swim becuase you can pay to use the pool for the day. However, it costs 300nakfa ($30AU) which is about a quater of my monthly pay packet. But, seeing as we have run out of water today at Dave's house (where we are staying until we can go to our placements) and the only water we get will be used for drinking, I think I may just spash out and enjoy it.

So Steve, I guess it's a bit different here from where you are. I don't think i'd be calling China a third world country by the way it's been described so far. Remember, everything i've seen has been in the biggest city where things are generally abundant also. I haven't really had to put up with the absence of internet and dodgy phone communications, or the lack of electricty etc so far either.

What differences have you picked up so far?

Okay,
I have been perservering with the internet. I'm not sure if i've mentioned if the only place I can write on this is from the British Council which purchases extra bandwidth from the countries only service provider, Eritel? Anyway, you have to get here right on opening time because there is no time limit to using them (about 10) and it is only open from 9:30- 12:30 then a long lunch then 2:30-6:30ish. I'm feeling a little guilty because I've been on here for near on 2 hours now.

I'm off to an elementary school today. It seems that our paperwork is taking longer than anticipated so I have arranged to get some teaching experience in Tsada Christian Elementary School. I was in a classroom yesterday too out at a small village called Adi Teklai. It seems like a hard job when you think about it (60-80 students in a class) but they are quite receptive to a good lesson, as opposed to copying off the board as so many have to do.

Steve, you have been a little slack. I bet you even have fast internet connection! Come on!!

Hmmm, culturally it hasn't been too hard to integrate. People here are very friendly and hospitality is ingrained in their day to day life. It reminds me of my Mum and Nan always fighting over who gets to pay! It has a nice feel here. Very safe, kinda like Australia 20 odd years ago before we all got so caught up in our own lives.

I'm thinking of doing a trip down to Cape Town when I finish. The ultimate African Safari. Tossing up whether to leave from Cairo, or Nairobi. Depends on the dollars of course.

Will hopefully be out in Barentu teaching (only 2 1/2 months until exams and holidays! and getting less by the minute) before too long. Only then will I have a true understanding of life in Eritrea and what school is really like, so I will write when I know more.

I am still here!

I suppose I have been a complete slacker of late, or, I have been busy! I’ll take both I think.

I’ll pass on a brief rundown of what has been happening lately.

I spent Chinese New Year in Singapore with April’s family which was a nice experience. We travelled to and from her relative’s homes and received the traditional red packets (hong bao) with money in them. As April and I are not yet married, we received but were not required to give so that worked out well ;) Heheh! Many other relatives visited us as well and food and drink was consumed. All in all it was a fun time back in Singapore.

I also started my job this week. There have been various contrasting experiences to take away from the first week.
I started work on Tuesday at a middle school (Junior High) teaching 12 to 15 year olds. The experiences so far have been great although the commute is quite long. The students are grouped in classes according to their ability, being much different from the western approach which is to ensure mixed ability classes are made to avoid “labeling” etc. The kids have responded well to me and I have become even more energetic and animated than ever before. I think I should have been an actor sometimes!
The primary school I work at has been “ok” to say the least. I found out from some other laowai (foreign) teachers at the school that I have replaced the classes that were run unprofessionally by a previous employee. It was total CHAOS! Dealing with year 1 and year 3 students who speak limited English and think they can behave in any way they want and a teacher who is unable to discipline due to the language barrier amounts to a disaster! Never before have I been faced with such a classroom crisis! I went home that night and thought the sky was going to fall in, especially after I had such a great time with the high school kids. Well as you probably guessed, the sky didn’t fall in and I picked myself up stormed back in there and laid down the law, Steve style! It worked a treat and the kids are already on the up. The six months prior to my start date, run by the previous guy may take some time to turn around but I think things are looking good! I almost made the year 1’s cry when I told them I went home and cried after their behavior in the previous lesson. Guilt always works. :P

Working in the government school sector has shown me a polar opposite educational setting to that of Australia and even somewhat different to Japan where I have previously also taught a number of years ago. I’ll continue to post observations in up and coming blogs but one curious practice I have noticed in the school has been the Chinese twice a day eye exercises. The students go through a number of motions where they rub their eyes and around them in various motions. A friendly recorded female voice provides instructions with pleasant music to stimulate the senses I imagine. I haven’t yet asked what the purpose is but my guess is to keep the students awake and to preserve their eyes as they spend almost the entire day studying to some degree. If anyone in Australia ever thought they had it tough as a student come and visit Asia and you will see what the word “tough” really means. These little guys work their butts off and at least 30 to 40% of the class wears glasses!
–Opinion Based Comment, BEWARE- All those hours heads over books at such a young age may have something to do with their terrible eyes!

This pretty much sums up the last few weeks. I am really starting to feel at home here now and am looking forward to staying put for a number of years.

Steve

Undergoing In Country Training

Well, i've been in training for a couple of days so far and I can manage a couple of things in Tigrinya, the local language. Yekanyelay- thankyou, aythazelay- sorry, kemay hadirka?- how'd you sleep, but I still haven't learnt 'Can you keep an eye on my camel while I drop in to pick up some bannanas?' I'm hoping it will be covered in subsequent lessons.

Training has held some interesting information. Considering what the teachers can go through here, they are basically national heroes. Some of them get paid as little as 125 Nakfa a month (this is the equivalent of about 12 Aus $). Unfortunately, this isn't enough to even cover rent, let alone food, and most rely on family members or the community to help support them. Nobody seems to be starving though, so I guess the community really helps each other out. In addition to this, most teachers are working far from their home towns, away from their family. Basically, they don't have a choice. For most, if not all, their career is dependent on how well they do at College, which they attend after a compulsory stint in military training. The lowest achieving pupils become soldiers, the next lowest teachers...

So, it will be interesting to say the least when I begin working in an Eritrean school with the view to help develop the skills of the teachers to provide an education for the Eritrean students. With minimal training, it seems that some of these teachers are already doing some amazing stuff! Others, of course, resent even being there. Basically, life is fairly tough, but we've got to make the most of it.

Hope all are well, I look forward to the day I can make it to the British council to post some pictures for you all to see.

Wow, through first time.

Hi guys,

What do you know? This time I got through to write a new post first time!! It only took a couple of seconds! I can't believe it.

I'm taking advantage of email access while I am in Asmara, because I wont have it in Barentu. I've found out that the bus only takes about 6 hours, but you may need to queue for about 3, and even then, you have to jump the queue to get on. I've heard most people are invited to jump the queue though.

Asmara is a beautiful city. I feel fairly familiar in Asmara now. You can get most things, although they are expensive. Fuel- $3.80, chocolate $8, whisky $150. My earnings will be about $200 a month so I will be budgeting quite frugally. Got any tips for me Doug?

The only place where the internet is quick enough to load pictures is possibly the british council, where I might try and link this to picasa. So, hopefully pics coming soon.

You wouldn't believe how hard it has been to just get onto this site!

I've tried everything to get on to post another topic, and this is the only way it has let me, by editing a former post. No shit, I have been trying to type this for 30 minutes at least. I'm finally through so I hope it publishes properly.

Landed in Eritrea last Saturday. Found out in Cairo that the other volunteers have been delayed and will be here this Saturday. Luckily, a couple of Aussie volunteers have taken me under their wing and shown me around the joint.

It will take far to long to upload a picture, so I will attempt to describe it.

Asmara is clean, with trees lining the sealed roads. Old cars and new cars travel on the wrong side of the road (to me) but traffic is minimum, but you need to watch out for the hustle of people on bicycles, and the red buses which have squeezing room only. Walking down the street I notice a long line of people with small plastic containers near a gas station that look like they have been waiting all day. They are patient, and fill out the required paperwork as they reach the front to collect their ration of kerosene. They've been cooking with charcol because kerosene hasn't been available for weeks. Cafes are dotted around town. A big cathedral stands on the main road, outside is a bus station with many people waiting. If a seat is available, it is offered to the old lady with her kerosene, or the mother with her baby wrapped to her back. People pass you on the street and look at you. The pale skin is a dead give away that you are an outsider. Some are indifferent, most are friendly, sharing a smile and saying 'selam', rarely are you bothered.

Outside the city there is no mistaking it, I am in Africa. The only paved roads are those that connect major villages. Mounting a motorbike with a fellow volunteer we venture into the dry, dusty landscape. The eye can see for miles- clouds are at eye leve in the distance as they approach the eastern escarpment to hopefully dump their precious moisture. A well of water is surrounded by green, then red, and dry yellow dust. We climb up a rocky road, holding on for dear life. Don't want to fall off out here. Passing a collection of Eucalyptus trees reminds me of home, there must be water under the ground as twist and turn following it. A friendly face greets us. He is the director of the school where my friend works. He takes us on a tour of his historic village built of stone on stone. New houses built with old methods, leaves and dirt for roofs. Interested faces poke out of these homes. Kids play soccer with socks, or tennis around a pole. Electricity goes down to the well to pump water. Regretfully, and somewhat difficultly, we decline an offer for coffee, a process which can take up to four hours. Food is scarce, coffee is expensive, though hospitality is bountiful. A welcome introduction to this vastly different region. This is Africa.


If there is perhaps one country which could rival China's rapid development, it would have to be United Arab Emirates. It has the feeling of being 'under construction.' What they have is very new, but you look around to see most things are only half finished. I also get the impression that the labour building this place is imported, mainly from India, maybe. I'm in Abu Dhabi for a day and just read that it is the richest place in the world! If the wealth (oil) was shared equally, each person would be worth approximately 17 million UAE dollars! Don't take my word for it though, I just read it in a magazine that was lying around the hotel room. Off to Cairo today, then onto Asmara, Eritrea, tonight! Pretty stoked. Really looking forward to getting to the place i'll be calling home this year, making some friends and learning heaps of new things! I'll keep posting...

The Language

I arrived in the restaurant, on my own for the first time, without needing to rely on April’s fluency in Chinese. I had a bundle of phrases and words up my sleeve and ordered a number of items from the menu in Chinese! Woohoo, I overcame a big hurdle!

Up to this point I had ordered various things at restaurants and bars with April, but this was my first time doing it on my own and to my surprise they understood me, although a few wry smiles broke out on her face as I got the words out. Haha!

I have learnt around 15 – 20 phrases or words in the three weeks I have been here. Having April is a wonderful resource and without her correction in my pronunciation of words I wouldn’t have learnt as much as what I have now.

Living in Shanghai means I need to learn Mandarin which is the official Chinese language and the dialect Shanghainese. Most of what I have learnt is Mandarin but I have a couple of words in the local dialect particular when I need to shoo away the pesky watch sellers in the city. “Nian ke!” I say, which literally means “Get the hell out of my way!” Funnily enough it has worked a treat so far, especially seeing the shocked look on their faces when a Laowai (foreigner or white man) can speak their language!

Well, I think there are already a few points of contrast between my posting and yours Steve. I've had my departure date delayed due to a lack of paperwork. I'm now writing furiously to try and fill some space on this damn blog because when I get to Barentu, my town in Eritrea, i'll have to travel 3 hours by bus to the next town before I can get internet access. It might take even longer if I buy the camel i've been checking out on E-bay. Then when I get there I can look forward to camel speed downloading/uploading to boot!

However, it looks like you have access in your apartment. High speed broadband no doubt (just look at the snazzy pictures that you've been able to upload!)

I leave on the 22nd of January. I fly out of Sydney, to Abu Dhabi, Cairo and then Asmara- capital of Eritrea. I'll have 2 weeks there before they drive me out to Barentu (check it out on Google Earth, very small and dry) and i'll begin teaching. Half of my time is designated to teaching a couple of grade 5 classes, the other half to collaborate with the local teachers. I'm a bit daunted by the prospect of 70+ kids in a class and have absolutely no idea as to the logistics involved in teaching anything to such large numbers. In addition to that, they have a strict exam schedule which they follow, and most of the students are notorious for cheating. I'm putting it all down as a LEARNING EXPERIENCE!

Departure date postponed...

Well, the departure date has been postponed. Probably a sign of the type of administrative occurances to come. Just somethin i'll need to get used to. Actually, i'm stoked! I've been running around like a headless chook for so long, i've forgotten what it feels like to have time to myself. I read a whole book today! Jodi Piccoult My Sister's Keeper. Great story. The ending was great. The girl... no. Better not. Will keep posting!

Social Thoughts + Food

Who said China was a Comuni$t country?? Well in some twisted theory, maybe. As many of us are aware, we sometimes say one thing and do another, much like this country. In practice, what I see more of is rampant capitalism and I stress the word rampant with tight go\/ernment control over a range of what we perceive as every day freedoms, especially the internet. Spend, spend spend, brands, brands, brands is the mantra among the growing middle class and elite. Sure there is poverty in the city and millions live in rural areas suffering grim existences but the way in which this country is changing, it can only be left up to the imagination where China will be in a few decades. This is no post WWII soviet bloc, this is eight storey shopping malls, this is the new China!

In saying all this, there are these Volkswagen Sanatana’s from the mid 80s still being driven around and they sure do look like the cars out of the old James Bond movies when 007 was always fighting those mean Soviet’s as they chased him in those drab looking but highly reliable East German automobiles. Each time I see one I always think of Roger Moore! Maybe during China’s not so glorious times, their mates next door traded these cars with them!

Nick has been pressing for an update on the food, so I’ll fill people in. I am really enjoying the food at the moment, tasting a wide range of local, Chinese and dishes from outside China, in particular Japanese and Korean. Local food mainly consists of rice and noodles but there are a lot of soup dishes worth tasting and all at around $1 to $2 per meal. Venture into food courts in mid range shopping malls and the restaurants are cleaner and decorated in a more familiar way. The food is much the same with either tofu, meat and various sauces on top of rice or dry noodles. All for about $2 to $4. Foreign dishes demand about $5 to $10 and the quality is always very good.

I have only had one uncomfortable experience where I needed a toilet quickly and ironically it was the most expensive eating experience so far where April and I spent a substantial amount of Yuan at a so called ‘fine dining’ restaurant tasting dumplings. All the super cheap and road side stalls have not given me any grief!

Well I can hear the car horns outside making a very creative musical tune so I may go listen.

Till next time… =)

Oh, and for those wanting to know about these old Soviet mobiles, I found a picture.

The experiences continue

Once again there are too many things to discuss in an entry so i'll try and summarise a lot of what has been going on lately!

I am starting to become more familiar with the city. Accompanied by another 21 million people, it sure can be a squeeze but I am finding it easier to naviagate my way around some of the bus and train routes and am starting to get a sense of direction.

The funny thing about Shanghai is that even though it is bigger than Tokyo, where i have spent some time in, it doesnt quite have that "massive" feel to it yet. I gather this is due to the city constantly under development in so many areas. I'd say in 20 years time this could be close to one of the most clogged but enormous cities in the world if it keeps going at the rate of growth that is occuring now.

Spitting, hocking and all the other words used to describe when someone needs to clear their throat and leave the remains on the ground beside your foot are common place here but not as common as I had myself believe. Although you will experience it around 10 to 20 or so times a day, which for many of us 'refined' western folk is a bit much, as a guy and one that used to spit when i was teenager, i can get over it :P What I can't get over is some dude masturbating next to me in a high class shopping centre urinal and only after he saw me walk in! Not the most pleasant of experiences. "Look ahead, finish what you have to and get out fast" i said afterwards!

"You wanna watch?", "Hashish, marijuana", a few of the regular and common phrases many approach me with each day I venture in to the city. Chinese from near the tibetan area of the country also beg in the streets, particular around People's Square where the young children are instructed to grab your pants and pull on them to get money. Quite a sad situation but one which i am not prepared to become involved with.

I have also visted numerous historical gardens and places, famous streets and shopping districts. April and I also visited the Shanghai World Financial Centre, a 492metre tower with the top floor being 474metres. Was absolutely amazing being up that high and an awesome experience. For those interested, this is currently the second tallest building in the world.

So far Shanghai is just what I was after!

Keep looking back as I hope to post more often!

Till then... :)