The university assigned us a…person to…help…do…something? Anyway, she’s very nice, her name is S, and get this—she speaks very limited English but excellent SPANISH! So I’m in Kabul, Afghanistan dusting off my Castellano to complain about the state of the bathroom and how we need carpeting. S helps us reserve space in the library for exams, but primarily has spearheaded the 10:30 tea break. Hopefully they’ll wash those teacups before the course is over.
The other day Mary showed the students some actual annual financial statements for international companies we figured they would know: Coca-Cola, Dell, and Starbucks. “Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Starbucks…” Not a one. So for those of you fed up with the Starbucks on every other corner, Kabul is one place where you can escape.
The university again hosted entrance exams on Thursday, but this time we were allowed to have class, but on the condition that we stay in our room so as not to disturb test-takers. Locked in accounting class! But R pulled through and brought us “burgers” for lunch. You don’t say “hamburger” here, maybe in no Muslim country, because they think the “ham” part means pork. Anyway, a “burger” was like a gyro-type wrap filled with fries, some parsley, cabbage, and a small slice of bologna. There were also packets of spicy sauce, which I noticed were made in Georgia (as in the US state).
The chancellor came through the library with an entourage of legislators in tow (so much for not disturbing the test-takers). He stopped in to say hello to us as well. But no sooner did he issue a greeting than students accosted him about carpeting the room in order to protect the computers, which are quickly getting dusty, muddy, dirty—aging rapidly. His response? “It’s not your responsibility to worry about these computers, it’s your responsibility just to learn.” He didn’t buy the equipment, so he doesn’t much care about their upkeep. But he will, of course, hem and haw about giving us space, place his family members in the course, and publicly champion his efforts at making the project happen. As Mary said, the word “odious” comes to mind. We have our second test tomorrow (Saturday), so we’re excited to see how that goes. Mary and I have both gotten frustrated at different points this week because the students come to class without being prepared. We’re supposed to be in class from 9 to 1, then 2 to 6 each day, but we’re doing 8:30 to 12:30, then 1:30 to 3:30—the students flat out refuse to stay beyond 3:30 and the facility staff kick us out by 4 anyway. So I’ve been disappointed to lose my cool a couple times this week, once asking, “How old are you!?” when three students refused to stop talking and yesterday saying, “If you don’t want to be here, leave. I don’t care. If you aren’t interested in learning this information, then just leave. I don’t care.” That stuff sounds horrible, and when you step back from it, that’s obvious. I try to keep things light most of the time so I feel like it’s a weakness or a loss as an instructor when these things slip out. And the thing is, we have no idea what these kids’ lives are like—I’m guessing many have a difficult time studying at home because their families close some rooms in the house to cut down on heating costs and they likely don’t have much electricity for light to read by. There are some students who always come prepared and can contribute, so maybe I’m wrong and they really are lazy…or just not accustomed to being held accountable…
The other day Mary showed the students some actual annual financial statements for international companies we figured they would know: Coca-Cola, Dell, and Starbucks. “Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Starbucks…” Not a one. So for those of you fed up with the Starbucks on every other corner, Kabul is one place where you can escape.
The university again hosted entrance exams on Thursday, but this time we were allowed to have class, but on the condition that we stay in our room so as not to disturb test-takers. Locked in accounting class! But R pulled through and brought us “burgers” for lunch. You don’t say “hamburger” here, maybe in no Muslim country, because they think the “ham” part means pork. Anyway, a “burger” was like a gyro-type wrap filled with fries, some parsley, cabbage, and a small slice of bologna. There were also packets of spicy sauce, which I noticed were made in Georgia (as in the US state).
The chancellor came through the library with an entourage of legislators in tow (so much for not disturbing the test-takers). He stopped in to say hello to us as well. But no sooner did he issue a greeting than students accosted him about carpeting the room in order to protect the computers, which are quickly getting dusty, muddy, dirty—aging rapidly. His response? “It’s not your responsibility to worry about these computers, it’s your responsibility just to learn.” He didn’t buy the equipment, so he doesn’t much care about their upkeep. But he will, of course, hem and haw about giving us space, place his family members in the course, and publicly champion his efforts at making the project happen. As Mary said, the word “odious” comes to mind. We have our second test tomorrow (Saturday), so we’re excited to see how that goes. Mary and I have both gotten frustrated at different points this week because the students come to class without being prepared. We’re supposed to be in class from 9 to 1, then 2 to 6 each day, but we’re doing 8:30 to 12:30, then 1:30 to 3:30—the students flat out refuse to stay beyond 3:30 and the facility staff kick us out by 4 anyway. So I’ve been disappointed to lose my cool a couple times this week, once asking, “How old are you!?” when three students refused to stop talking and yesterday saying, “If you don’t want to be here, leave. I don’t care. If you aren’t interested in learning this information, then just leave. I don’t care.” That stuff sounds horrible, and when you step back from it, that’s obvious. I try to keep things light most of the time so I feel like it’s a weakness or a loss as an instructor when these things slip out. And the thing is, we have no idea what these kids’ lives are like—I’m guessing many have a difficult time studying at home because their families close some rooms in the house to cut down on heating costs and they likely don’t have much electricity for light to read by. There are some students who always come prepared and can contribute, so maybe I’m wrong and they really are lazy…or just not accustomed to being held accountable…
No comments:
Post a Comment