Remembering a difficult time in Africa

Something has occurred today that reminded me of two related incidents that happened while I was living in Zimbabwe.

The first incident happened in April of 2000. I was in my second year of being a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). I was thinking of doing a third year (two years are usual) and so my Peace Corps supervisor set me up with a program whose work it was to get computers and Internet access to the rural areas. I met almost the whole group, with teachers from all over the country, at a conference in Bulawayo, the second largest city. In a meeting, somebody said something about one of the teachers behaving white because they did something smart (with money as I recall). Even though this could be construed as a complement, it felt very wrong. I recall being very sensitive, rightly or wrongly, about race issues when I was in Zimbabwe, and it is easy to trace that back to the USA where we have so many issues with race. (There is a short article on white guilt on Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_guilt, and there is more, a lot more!, on the web for the curious.)

Needless to say, I handled the situation really wrongly. There in front of the whole group I said something loud that expressed my disbelief. I might have said 'What!' but it is hard to be certain as I always say this now. It works well with school children. It does not work as well with adults which makes me thing I did use it. Everyone was shocked and surprised at my anger. These people knew each other to some degree but not me. I tried to explain, but I think my initial reaction diluted people's understanding.

The second sitution occurred six months later when I was working with the group full time. The supervisor's brother was giving me and another PCV a ride home in his small truck that had a second row of seats, what we call a 'king-cab.' As I was the first to get out, I asked the people in the back if they wanted to move up with my friend. They said no, and I told the people in the front that, adding to my friend, that the reason was that "They think you stink." She laughed at this and I went inside happy.

The next day the supervisor told me his brother had said I had offended him. I asked why. The supervisor told me that the whites in Rhodesia, what Zimbabwe was called under colonial rule, had often complained that the blacks stunk and would use this prejoritively against them. I told the supervisor that I had had no idea that this was the case and asked him to apologize to his brother for me.

My supervisor was very polite and explained the situation clearly. This gave me a chance to reflect and apologize. I really had meant no harm and was able to express this. however, my comment six months earlier, my 'what!', gave no chance for anybody to reflect or explain. Instead it put everybody on the defensive and created a negative atmosphere.

Living in a foreign country can be a demanding experience. Even though I live in my home country, I work with foreign nationals and this lesson still applies to me and my life.

Early Thanksgiving

Turkey Day came early this year!

Yesteday I travelled out to Long Island by train to Professor Gail O'Connel's house. Her and her husband, Matt, live southeast of Great Neck near the school that Matt works at. They have a nice big house with a nice big yard. Unfortunately it was too chilly for the Taiwanese students to go outside and play baci. Instead, after we arrived, we sat near the fire. I taught a some students how to play backgammon and other students how to play hearts. This was fun.

Matt took me quickly over to his school. The school building looks like an old mansion. A lot of wood there! There was wood panelling up to my shoulder in the halls. Above that there are woodcuttings that all the seventh graders make. We saw some wood carvings that dated back to 1931.

I got to help with the cooking and setting up. After a traditional dinner, we had pumpkin pie that Gail made. Not everybody liked it, but that is pumpkin pie for you. Matt described it as an aquired taste and I would agree with that.

I felt bad, but at 8:00 I had to leave. This was before the cleanup. We left a lot of the O'Connels to do. However, I had to get home--I got home at 10p--so I could get up this morning and go to work at the charter school.

I was stuffed but happy!

Feeling unsociable lately

Even before I went out Friday night and got hit by the Mac truck called Sierra Pale Ale and swore to never drink again (again), I have decided that going out is something that I can forgo more often this fall. This would have been easier to do if I had a weekend job, but, as the job at Staten Island CUNY fell through, no such luck there. I did manage to spend a lot of time this weekend watching Six Feet Under. As a matter of fact, I finished the second season. Because I got the discs from the library, I didn't spend any money watching them. I took a nice walk on Friday (another fine day, another 'last nice day' of the fall?) through the park which somehow took me to a bar later in the evening. One good thing is that I didn't spend money on dinner. One bad thing is that I didn't spend money on dinner. Sometime after midnight I tried to buy something to eat; too little, to late.

I feel like I am rambling here.

new surfing addiction

The other night I was up way late (ok, it was only after twelve but I was still sick) because I found out YouTube has videos of songs I haven't heard in a long time. I was momentarily stuck in the 80's as I poked around looking for old songs. Bad, bad, bad. I was listening to Kate Bush, Intaferon, OMD, and Gary Numan. It was great, although I felt a little compulsive about it. I had five or six tabs open on my web browser (IE7 finally has tabs!) and was going back and forth. I was also using Google to try and come up with the correct names of songs and bands so I wasn't wasting my time futilely searching for the wrong things (I missed spelled Intaferon repeatedly!). One of my favorite techniques is to put in the lyrics in Google and see if the band and song pops up. Actually, I programmed/labeled songs in my iPod once that way because I had used a copied disc once and iTunes wouldn't/couldn't look up the songs.

I've also discovered that the radio stations on iTunes are quite good. This saves me at work where all the music on the computer I use is HipHop. There is only one album that I know I like on the computer: The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. I started to use the radio stations because I woke up at 5am this morning and knew I wasn't going back to sleep (I didn't have to get up until 6:30). I ended up poking around on the computer and found the stations were decent. Now, however, I need to go take a nap before I work tonight.

I'm very full

I'm very full. Maybe that is not the best way to start this blog, but now you won't have to read to the end if you don't want to because that is how it ends.

I dug out my winter coat tonight to go out. Found a Valentine sucker in the pocket. Wonder how long that has been there? Well, it was a mild winter so it may have been from near Valentine's Day. Today was the first day for that winter coat--fortunately Tuesday, Halloween night, was pleasant for the parade which I recommended for most of my students. Maybe I'll read about what they did on their blogs.

I met my friend Courtney on the UWS for dinner. She lives in DC now (actually just Virginia) and surprised me to say she was coming up. I was planning on just couch surfing tonight (and watching Six Feet Under) as I am still feeling a little under the weather, but she was a good enough reason to get dressed. Coming out of the subway at the Natural History Museum I was surprised by fireworks--probably for the marathon tomorrow. We had a nice Indian dinner and then we went to Cafe Lalo. Haven't been there for a while. It was fun. We both had coffee (black, no sugar, mais oui!) and something chocolate (my midnight chocolate was better than her peanut butter mousse!). We saw Michael Moore (the filmmaker) who lives on Broadway at 84th.

After, I walked to the subway. I caught the uptown D (no C service right now) at 81st, the Natural History Museum stop. This was the first time that I actually looked at every animal that is in the tiles on the uptown level. I haven't been to the museum since I first arrived in NYC, four years ago!

Cheap Movie

It turns out that you can see a movie for less than $10 in the city. You only have to make an effort. The theatre on 34th street is, as I already knew, not the most popular in the city. As such, and considering it has about 15 screens, they are working hard to get customers in to see movies. Regular movies are only $9.50 instead of $10.50. Yeah, I know, one dollar, but, hey! take what you can get. In addition, movies before noon are only $6. At other theatres they are $7 or $7.50.

Who wants to get up that early to see a movie? I went to see Flags of Our Fathers this morning, 10:20. Not too early for popcorn. either (which I bought for $1.50 from a bodega in Penn Station).

Not everything is perfectly rosy though. The theatres tend to be a bit on the cold side. Worse, less than half of the sinks in the bathroom work. No lines for the toilets, but if you want to wash your hands, you are in trouble!

I've been on a movie binge lately: four films in eight days and all at the same theatre. I originally chose that theatre because it was one of only three still showing Jet Lee's Fearless. I did not end up seeing it the first time I went, so I had to return (and some jerk was talking on his phone in the movie!). The third time the theatre had the best start time for The Departed (yes, I liked it better than the original) and today I wanted to see Flags of Our Fathers.

Will I go again? We'll see. I want to see The Last King of Scotland and it is only showing at the Lincoln Cinemas. I'm off Tuesday so that seems like a good idea. As long as I am back to hand out candy!

Next week is the annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade. It is quite a sight. For hours (yes, hours!) you can go and watch the elaborate costumes go by. Yes, it can be a bit crowded. Yes, it can get a little chilly. However, it is fun. I went my first year in New York. I was early (if you know me, you are not surprised by that statement) and had to wait. As I was early, I got to be right in front and that was nice. I didn't have to crane my neck or stand on my tiptoes to look around someone else's head. While the dragqueens and scary costumes were cool, I really liked the monsters that were set up on people's backs and moved by wires. Very cool.

Speaking of cold, I was talking with my Speaking/Listening class yesterday about the coming winter. Yesterday was a chilly day with the wind blowing. In class, one student did not take off his jacket and another did not take off her sweatshirt; she didn't wear a coat. Some of the students are from Taiwan and Shanghai are really do not know waht the weather is going to be like here in the winter. The Taiwanese students are going to be surprised to see snow, perhaps for the first time in their lives, while the student from Shanghai says it only snows once a winter, if at all. We talked about boots, coats, hoods, gloves, hats and earmuffs. It made me laugh a little. However, I did think it was an important topic to talk about after class.

Six Feet Under

I started watching Six Feet Under today. My friend Daniel lent me his VHS tapes of the first season. (Funny, eh? VHS tapes...I don't think they make them anymore.) I like the first three episodes that I watched today, but I have to tell you, it is very heavy on there being lots of bad things happening to the family. I'm not sure what I think about that. The humor is quirky though, and that is cool.

I have also been watching the first season of My Name is Earl and the fourth season of Scrubs. Or rather, I've been trying not to watch Scrubs. Has to be my favorite. I love the humor (Dr. Cox's snappy banter is great) and the sappy moral/lesson at the end. However, I've been trying to finish My Name is Earl first.

I don't get any TV stations, no cable or satellite, or even an antenna. So I just get the seasons on discs of shows I like. Unfortunately, this is expensive. C'est la vie.

Health Inspection Visit

Yesterday I watched something that I had never viewed as a customer: an inspection by the board of health. I was at the greasy spoon I like to go to (Friends Diner, it is right by the Kew Gardens Subway stop) before class. As I was trying to enjoy my breakfast (two eggs scrambled with homefries, wheat toast dry, and a cup of joe) in walked an inspector. The guys that work at the diner tried to keep their cool, but it was easy to tell they were ruffled. The cook (one of two or three brothers, I think, that work there) did not have a hat on--a big no-no. He took the hat from the head of the counter/phone order guy (his younger brother I think, who goes to college in the afternoon and evening) who then had to search for hat. The search took about 30 minutes and was successful only when they talked to the florist down the block on the corner. There were some 'discussioins' over bacon and over turkey: When had it been cooked, how long was it cooled, where was it stored, etc. I felt a little bad for the guys; I know from experience that these things can be tough. However, I do want to eat at a safe, clean place. If I am grumpy tomorrow during class, you will know it is because I could not get my coffee and breakfast because they failed their inspection. I sincerely doubt that will happen!

Aren't you glad...?

I bet my students are you glad we had class outside on Tuesday as it is so chilly today Yes, I know it was noisy with the jets and people walking around us. During the earlier class, we also had to contend with noise from the groundskeepers who were using riding lawnmowers and electric trimmers. I am sure they won't just be glad today: After a couple days of rain in November when we have to run from building to building, we will all think back to sitting on the grass for a warm afternoon.

I hope my students didn't find Thursday's class too boring. I really wanted them to have certain tools--transition words. Maybe I should have thought of a better way to deliver the information. Gotta work on that! Oh well, at least I am sure they understood it the way it was delivered.

Today I need to run out and get The End, the last book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett (http://www.lemonysnicket.com/). Maybe I should recommend these books for my college students. The books might be on the right level but I doubt they have time to actually read. I remember having very little time when I was in school. Of course, I was working too--something my students don't have to do. Also, tonight I am supposed to have an iftar dinner--a Ramadan dinner after sunset.

Sunday night at 11pm and I should be asleep

I've been waiting for a friend to send me some pictures of the concert we went to on Thursday night. Unfortunately he hasn't done so. I thought I would share the pics, but, as I think about it, that is probably a silly idea. How much could a dark picture (the bright lights were all behind the stage) show of what was going on? We saw Massive Attack (http://www.massiveattack.co.uk/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack) at the Roseland. Fun was had by all, although I think my ears are still ringing: we were so close there were only three people in front of me--nobody was pushing in though, it wasn't that kind of concert.

Today, I did something totally different. Some friends and I headed up my hill to Fort Tryon of the Medieval Festival. Kind of silly, and a let down. Waaaaay too many people. That might be because of the weather, though. It was a perfect day to be outside. Fort Tryon, and The Cloisters (http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/department.asp?dep=7) are a short walk. I used to walk through the park, by the museum, every Saturday on my way to work at the Inwood library. Today was the first time I have ever walked the road instead of the paths because the roads were all blocked off from traffic and there were a lot of booths and vendors selling things.

Mom's in Town

Wow! I have had a busy two days.

My mom arrived late Thursday night (actually, early Friday morning). Friday we went shopping at Macy's. We found some pants on sale in the basement and I spent all the money I had on some Gift Cards I was given. Then we went upstairs and were disgusted looking at overpriced coats--some were more than $200, some more than $300, and one was even $600.

Friday night we went to see Wicked. It is a musical based on a book that I like. The musical is really popular but I was sort of bored--mostly with the music. Mom really liked it.

Yesterday, Saturday, we took a boat ride all around Manhattan. It took three hours. It was very cool. We saw my apartment building and I was able to pick out my apartment too. Last night we met a friend for dinner. We went down to the East Village and had Moroccan food. It was good, but my mom's (as she will tell you) didn't have any vegetables.

Today we are taking it easy. Tonight we are going to the New Leaf Cafe which is located in Fort Tryon Park. Ought to be good. Then, she has to fly out at 6 am tomorrow morning. Way too early! Oh well, I should be able to go back to sleep!

New Addiction

Saturday night I was introduced to a new game that I already find myself craving--and it has only 12 hours since I played it!

I went to a friend's apartment to do a scavenger hunt, but, unfortunately, not enough people showed up. We went up the road and had a pint and bite instead. After that, three of us went back to the friend's apartment where he taught us how to play Settlers of Catan (http://www.gamenight.com/html/Games/settlers_of_catan.htm). It is a board game from Germany that requires a certain amount of strategy and a lot of luck. We played for 4 hours Saturday night. We left his apartment with the promise that we would play again in a few weeks. End of story? No.

The next day, my friend sent me a link to a site that has a free online version of the game with a different name: Xplorers (http://games.asobrain.com/). Yes, my Sunday was shot because I am addicted. After figuring out the changes in the versions from the board game to the computer, I promptly dove in and played/practiced before I played my friend again online Sunday night. The practice didn't help as he beat me twice. Sigh. More practice?

My mom is coming to visit this weekend. I should teach her how to play and then we could play online from our homes on opposite sides of the continents. Don't worry, she'll probably be better than me soon and then I'll lose to her too.

exercise!

This morning I got at 6:30--very early! I have been meaning to start exercising again (for three years now? four years?) but haven't. I was planning on starting last week (not the week before because that was the first week of school) but I got that terrible cold. I am still sniffling a little and I feel a little raspy in my chest, but I decided to get up and go for a walk. Not a run, not yet, and actually getting up earlier than I need to sounds like the hardest thing right now.

I have to admit that after I got up at 6:30, I crawled back into bed. I did not fall asleep again and got up. I walked away from my house for 15 minutes, until I got to a giant branch that had fallen on the pathway, and then I walked back. I felt good. It's funny--at the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, when I was living in Harare, Zimbabwe I was running every morning for 30 minutes and then walking for at least two hours everyday. Sometimes, I would walk for closer to three hours!

I did call the city about the branch. That was a torturous phone call (the woman on the phone had no idea what part of the city I was talking about), but hopefully the parks department will remove it. Not that I will be walking past that point tomorrow--30 minutes sounds like a great amount for walking!

Old Students...

I just spent 10 minutes talking to an old student. She is a Spanish speaking student from Bolivia. Talking with her made me think about the many students I have been lucky to teach. When I first started teaching ESL in Salt Lake I had Spanish and Vietnamese speakers (Salt Lake had (maybe still has) a large Vietnamese population). I taught there for more than 2 years. Then I went to Zimbabwe where I taught Shona and Ndebele speakers. Since coming to New York in 2002, I have taught a wide variety of students: Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Jordanian, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian, Haitian, West African, Polish. Who am I forgetting? No, I am not forgetting Spanish speakers--they have been my largest population by far! Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, Chilean, Guatemalan, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Salvadorian, Nicaraguan, Argentinian. Even Americans whose first language has been Spanish.

It has been a pleasant change teaching at St. John's where there has been a large variety of students--a little more weighted to the Far East though. Now this semester has come along and things are a little different; I have mostly Chinese speakers. Six of seven are Chinese speakers in my writing class and four of six in my speaking class. How did that happen? Luck of the draw, I guess!

I wonder what populations I might teach if I move? New York has everyone, but other places in the US are not so varied, many cities have only a few large groups/populations of immigrants.

Achooooo!!!

Ok,

It is Saturday morning and this is way later than I wanted it to be. Yesterday I ran around doing errands after I worked at the Elementary School (where I teach M-W-F) and then did some vital paperwork that I was putting off. Then I went to meet a friend who is visiting from Chicago. Not a good excuse, I know, but I did it. It was good to see my friend who used to be my best friend when he was in NYC. I was home by 9:30 last night, but I was exhausted. Now I find I have a cold. Ick.

I find that the first couple of weeks of school are very stressful for me as a teacher. Summer is coming to an end and nobody wants it to. Time is spent wondering if there are things you should have done that you didn't do in August and planning for the new year. I start to worry about who will be in my class; will there be enough students? What kind of students will they be? You are reading this and probably having mirror thoughts: you were probably worried about your classes and about who your teachers would be, maybe even about your co-students.

I think that as September moves on, I will be less stressed and more relaxed: my cold will go away. I look forward to that, but in the meantime, I am worried about all my students, from the five year old kindergarten students to the graduate students. C'est la vie!



Remember for class, we are need to talk more about the blogging requirements: length, evaluation, and comments. Don't forget to read the second chapters reading, read the questions after the reading, and do the vocabulary. I look forward to reading your papers on Tuesday!

Second Day of Class

I got home to find a package I had been eagerly awaiting, only to find that it was missing some pieces, including the all-important AC adaptor (the plug to charge the battery or to run the machine without the battery). Can you imagine how frustrating that was?

Class went well enough today--except for the ones who didn't do their homework! However, that does remind me that I need to start and update a homework list on St. John's Central: https://cpprod.stjohns.edu/cp/home/displaylogin.

We are on our way though, and that is a good thing. Besides checking up on the Chapter One reading and writing your first draft possession paragraph, I want you to think about what sort of requirements for blogging we should have for our class. Imagine you are the teacher if it helps: What should be required for writing? How often? Any particular types? What type of requirements should there be for the others to read? Should there be evaluations--and if so, by whom? Other types of feedback? Anything else?

Think about these things for class on Friday. Be prepared to talk about them. If you have any questions, hit me at bramblec@stjohns.edu.

What a windy day!

It is Saturday morning and I do wish I had slept until noon today. It is ugly outside--ugly, ugly! I don't mind rain, but that wind is something else.

I'm glad you found your way to my blog. Look around the webiste while you are here. Use the search option at the top and see if you can find someone who has written about something interesting. I put in my own name and found someone talking about a young guy in his late teens in Pennsylvania who has 3 brothers and a dog. I also put in a movie I saw recently at a small screening and saw lots of interesting opinions. You can put in anything you want into the search, but be warned: you might be taken to a different blog website than blogger. You might even end up at a commercial site.

My good friend Daniel McMahon, had a blog spot for his high school class. You can check it out at: http://marblehillglobe.blogspot.com/

After taking the time to look around, I want you to think--what can blogging do for me? Be prepared to discuss your answer to that question in class.