Witnessed on a Saturday

Today started with a visit from the Jehovah Witnesses. I was outside watering our hibiscus tree when two nicely dressed Chinese couples carrying large golf umbrellas to protect themselves from the midday heat, stopped ouside our gate and gave me a nice, glossy, eye-catching brochure with article titles like this: "Do Jehovah witnesses believe in Jesus?"and "Ways to Reduce Stress." I thanked them politely and kept watering. 

For lunch Eric and I stumbled upon a "halal" dim sum restaurant. It wasn't until we'd dug into the first of what I'd thought was a BBQ pork bun, that my brain noticed the other diners. We were surrounded by women wearing brightly covered headscarves. My first thought was, "Do these women eat pork?" (Traditional Dim sum is very Chinese and very much filled with pork). So while Eric was telling me something about work,I lost my concentration in search of the answer to my question. And, sure enough just a above the kitchen door was the tell-tale black and white "halal" sign printed in Arabic and English.  I smiled to myself. Here was a smart businessman (or woman). By using "the other white meat" (chicken), he (or she) has increased potential customers by 70%. Adding clean toilets and soap in the bathrooms justified the higher than normal ex-pat prices! Smart, tasty, clean and halal. Great business plan.

After dropping Eric off for a 1:00 pm doctor's appointment, I was excited to explore a beautiful, clean, air conditioned Clark's Shoe Store. The pair of hippie, backpacker Birkenstocks I bought last summer - and have worn every day since - are showing their age. A brief survey of the store yielded four potential, made-for-function-and comfort styles to try on. I told the sales clerk my size: US9 or European 40. I even air wrote the numbers with my pointer finger to help with the comprehension.

A few minutes later,  two clerks came back with one pair of shoes in hand. They then returned the other three pairs to the shelf. I happily slipped on the first pair. Something felt wrong. My toes curled off the front and my heels hung off the back. Had my feet swelled this much in one year?! Is this what living in a "flip-flop" country does to my middle aged feet? I pulled off the shoes and checked the size.  Size 7 was printed in bold numbers on the back. Pheww! My feet hadn't grown. Most likely, the clerk misunderstood me. I repeated,  "I need a 9." He replied, "Yes. We don't have. We only have this one pair."
So, you thought you'd just bring out any old pair, and I'll buy it because it's a Clark?

But then I got to speculating: Perhaps this is another interesting business model. Take the free sample/floor models and see how many you can actually sell.Don't actually have any stock because that would cost money. You won't make a lot but you certainly won't loose anything.

Disappointed, but not surprised, I left the shop. Hopefully these hippie sandals will last until my next trip back to the US.

By now it was 2:00 pm and Eric was still waiting for his 1:00 pm appointment. The door was locked and the receptionists who could buzz me in was nowhere in sight. The over- full waiting room of patients seemed to get humor at my inability to get buzzed in so I took off for a walk.

The walk ended up being a good thing because I found a gorgeous fabric store! Here's a "shout out" to my mom and high school friend Cindy, both of whom would have added piles to their fabric stashes. Unfortunately for me, I was annoyed by the seven sales clerks glued to me like flies on flypaper and blocking my ability to view and touch the gorgeous silks and cottons. I know one day I'll regret not buying the beautiful raw silks at $7.50/meter for decorating our imaginary, dream retirement home, but I couldn't stand the invasion of my space bubble.

By now it was 3:10 pm and Eric, very much annoyed, had just been called into the dermatologist's office for his 1:00 pm appointment. It appears that Saturdays are busy days for Botox and skin whitening treatments, and  that an appointment is not really an appointment. The receptionist then proceeded to close most of the metal garage doors on the shop front making it almost too dark for me to type. 

About 3:45 Eric came out. On the bright side, he said the doctor was very professional and typed all her notes on a very large iPad. Contrast that with the nurse who following Eric to the payment counter with the medical billing codes inked in big black letters on the palm of her hand.

I wonder if the day would have turned out differently if I'd invited the Jehovah witnesses in for a cup of tea?

Buying a Dishwasher

"I have some bad news..." was the start of yesterday's email from our property manager back home. I could have guessed bad news before even opening the email because mid-month notes from her at 6:30 a.m. our time - mid day for her - seldom (never?)  mean anything but. Eric was racing out the door for another hectic, crazy day at his job. I was looking a the piles of papers that I'd procrastinated grading last night because, quite frankly, these activity/workbooks are about the most boring things I've graded in my entire teaching career, and wondering if I could slog through them in the next 30 minutes before I raced out the door. Our property manager's email filled with details of water, gunk and pump/repair costs for a 13 year old dryer were the icing on the cake for an already stress-filled morning.

We both looked at each other and agreed that we did not want to repair the dinosaur. We also knew that we didn't have time at that exact moment to research what we wanted. I quickly dashed off an email. "Please do not repair the dishwasher. Can you ask the tenants to give us the day to research new dishwashers and to please be patient? We'll give an answer by the end of today.."

I kissed Eric goodbye after he promised to do a little research on new dishwashers. I don't really care that much about dishwashers except that they work and that  match our appliances. (He swears our appliances are black. I swear they're white. Can you believe we can't even remember what color they are?!)

Then I walked into our Malaysian kitchen, looked at the stack of last night's dirty dishes resting on the stove top -there's no room for anything on the counter top- and counted my blessings that the ants had not found the pork chop bones and crumbs of baked potatoes left from last night. I began to fill the electric tea pot with water to boil for my dish water. In the meantime, I filled the second sink with cold water and a tablespoon of bleach for a sanitary, Girl Scout-approved rinse.

At this moment I started laughing. Here was the perfect example of trying to balance two cultures. In the first, our "native" culture I was imagining a frazzled mom with screaming young children, a dog barking, and an overflowing dishwasher. In an effort to be good landlords we immediately felt the need to take care of house problems promptly hoping for responsible tenants in return. Contrast that with our "adopted" culture. Our kitchen is typical of expat housing in a  "developing nation".  No machine, no hot water. The only dishwasher I can visualize is myself (or Eric if I've got the flu or dengue fever.) Sure, we could purchase a dishwasher ourselves. But, I would have to put it in the bathroom next to the washing machine and I'm not sure that would really buy us anything except more headaches.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for our tenants.  I hope they love the shiny, clean, quiet new dishwasher. I know I would. And, when I get back to the States, I'm going to enjoy having a dishwasher. That way, I'll have a choice: hand wash when there are only a couple of items or open a door, load em dirty like the commercials, add soap and go.

My New Favorite Past Time - Building a School Library

Recently I've become addicted to going to the grocery store. I'd like to say it's because I like to cook, but unfortunately that's not the reason. As a matter of fact, I'm often teased for how I quickly I race through the store with the sole mission of finding the simplest products for the quickest, nutritional meal possible. No, the real reason I've become addicted to the store is my attraction to the used book tables near the school supplies at the back.

For some reason, about a month ago, our supermarket started carrying used books. Some of the books feel dusty, smell musty, and look like the tossed off remains of  ex patriot workers who, in a frenzy to lighten their load before the movers came and and told them they'd exceeded their 1000 lb air freight allowance, dumped their books somewhere. (Reselling books seems like the work of an enterprising trash collector or housekeeper) Titles like World Cup 1984  complete with pictures of footballers wearing shorts that barely covered their cheek bums and How to Raise and Care for a Chinchilla -who would wear a mink coat here? -  were not worth the additional $5000 shipping to airfreight the books back home.

Other books appear to be bookstore "slow sellers" and publisher "seconds". Take the  How My Body Works - The Joints and Tendons (Vol. 38) which seemed like a good idea until I discovered the pages were glued upside down into the book. I know that, for some of the students, reading the words in any direction is about the same - hard, boring, and seemingly impossible, but in good conscience, I want to give them the "best" possible way to have success in their reading so proper page placement seems like a "minimum" requirement.

Sprinkled in the grocery store mix are Malaysian publishers trying to translate, copy or perjure foreign authors in the interest of "cheap profit." These books make me crazy for several reasons, including because they are translated just like they talk. For example, Cinderella might say, "Prince charming. I go back now. Ok la?" (which means "Time to go home!" and Prince Charming might reply, "Can, Can." (Which means "Ok", not the Parisian dance or dancers).

But, back to my new addiction. I feel like my "calling", my "vocation", my "legacy" is to build an English library at this new school. It began with my last trip to the United States, an empty suitcase, $50, and a trip to the Wheaton Regional Library. Seventy-five books later, a bulging 49.99 lb. bag and a heavy, book-laden knapsack that took up my "under the seat in front of me" legroom for the flight back, I had the start to a library.

Unfortunately, with a student body of 60 students ranging in age from 7-17, my heavy loads worked out to just over one book per student and only about 18 inches of shelf space in the school "library." Trying to meet the varying needs and English proficiency levels of these students was tough. In other words, I'd made a good start but barely made a dent in the number of volumes, especially if "reading in English" is a required part of the day.

So, the recent "bonus" of a "used books" section at the library has been like a slice of heaven to this ex-pat who enjoys nothing better than a quiet afternoon sipping coffee and perusing books at Barnes and Nobles.  BTW - I think I'll cry if they're gone by the time I get back to the States!..

Anyway, the first week alone I found about 35 books. I found picture books, Newberry award winners, original language classics, fairly current - year 2000 and newer- non-fiction, and lots of picture books based on movies (not the greatest but at least the kids are "reading.")

Each week the pile gets smaller and the choice more limited, but like rocks in a yard, just when I think I've found everything I can,  new books float to the surface. A sample of today's gems: Great Civilizations: Aztecs and Incas AD 1300-1532, ( mean seriously...does the copyright date really matter on things that happened 3000-6000 years ago?) a graphic novel called The Last of the Mohicans,  Scott O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon, and Where's Waldo. (yea...a book for non-readers to pretend like they're reading)

My goal is to try and find about 350 books or seven books per student. In the meantime time, visiting the "used book" department at the grocery store is providing hours of pleasure and relaxation.

N.B. We have lots of room for guests and you all are invited...Bring a swim suit, wear flip flops, and "check" a bag of books...I'll be your grateful tour guide!

Why Do We Need Hand Soap?

Today I asked the principal if it would be possible to buy some soap for the bathrooms. It didn't seem like a big request.  I know  we didn't have any at the old school. But, we're at a new-to us- school. And, the bathrooms at the new facility are a big improvement from before with eight stalls instead of two including toilet paper for the past two weeks...a record. So, why not start something "new"?! Clean hands....

Back to the conversation....
Me: Could we get some soap for the bathrooms?
Principal: Soap?
Me: Yeah. soap..you know..for washing hands..
Him: Oh...(thoughtful pause) soap.
I could see him processing...expensive? unnecessary? no other schools have it? I couldn't read his mind.

Me: Yeah..you know the students here are taught in their social studies books that hand washing is important for personal hygiene. And, I bought two bottles of hand soap last week.  But it won't last long. And, you know MERS is now in Malaysia.
Him: MERS?
Me: Yes,  ...Middle East Respiratory Syndrome... you know... that so-far-extremely-fatal disease that is affecting people who go to Saudi Arabia on the Haj? (Thinking to myself...I just read the WHO along with the American CDC are training health care providers to take special precautions...maybe that means putting "soap" in the hospitals.. And, if , for no other good reason, just buy some because this is a Christian school.) And, students have colds...soap and hand washing go hand in hand...(ha,ha...little joke about a not-so-funny topic).. Could we get some soap?
Him: OK...(translates in Chinese to the secretary to put soap on the shopping list)
Secretary: Why do we need soap?

Me: (!@#$%^%^ ... but thinking now I have her attention and his). Yes, soap. Oh, and by the way... Could we make a bottle of 1% bleach water.  You know..Some very cheap disinfectant? Very easy to make..Yesterday, I had to clean up a bunch of blood in my classroom. Don't know how it got there... (Which is actually a lie. I saw the cut on the principals knuckle and am pretty sure it was his...)Anyway, a student pointed it out And, kids are kids, and they get bloody noses and stuff..and, you know blood is a bio-hazard. And, with students coming from around the world...Well, you just never know...HIV, Hepatitis A,B, and C, a common cold... Could we make some bleach water?
Him: OK. ..(translates to the secretary to buy a squirt bottle.)
Secretary: Is this for the student's hands?
Me:Really?...I'm an English teacher with a business degree and I know this stuff..I'm not a science major..Really? Really? No, it's for cleaning. Hand soap for hand. Bleach water for blood on "things."


Note to self..there may be some lingering confusion between hand soap and disinfectant. Just hope neither bottle looks like MILO, the oval-tine type national drink or we might have to call poison control..Another bad assumption...probably is no poison control...

Seriously, I could end this blog post now, but you need to know what questions bubbled through my head on the drive home.

1. Is there definitive research that shows the amount of bacteria that is removed when using soap versus just water?
2. Could I "google" a science experiment that would teach me how to make the gelatin in a petri dish, and then take swabs from student hands before and after washing to "show" not "tell"?
3. Am I being unreasonable?


Here are the quick answers to my 20 second search...
1. http://globalhandwashing.org/
Apparently my lack of hand washing problem is quite common in Kenya, China, Pakistan,...the list is quite long. And, there has been lots of research...

My big take-away is that, yes, students who have better hand hygiene grow taller and have fewer gut problems. And, hand washing campaigns at school general are more effective than publicity to the general public. I guess you really can't "teach an old dog new tricks."

2. Yes, I learned how to make the substance to grow micro-organisms in a petri dish, and I watched a video with a hand washing experiment with an outcome exactly as I predicted.
On a side note...too bad Turkey banned YouTube..They could also use some hand washing and science experiment "how-to" videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bUS-WiucbE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK_26rOzeE4

3. Rather than use the term "unreasonble",  I prefer to think I'm providing the medium to experiment and learn. Don't take my word for it. Don't just write "true" or "false" because the book says so. (kind of an outpouring from yesterday's post.) Let's do an experiment! Let's learn! Let's wash our hands and live longer! Hurray!

Reflections on Teaching in Malaysia

I've been helping out at a school for about six months. I'm past the "honeymoon stage" where I loved everything about the position: happy, respectful, "on-task" students. I've moved into the "mid-year blues" where the second half of the term looms ahead like a long, dark tunnel with no pin pick of light shining through to guide the way. It probably doesn't help too much that my American teacher friends and family are posting end-of-year project results, talking about field trips, enjoying concerts, and posting prom pictures signalling the start of a 2 1/2 month break from school.

In addition to the fact that school is NOT ending anytime soon, I'm in the "critical examination" stage which confirms that first impressions were deceiving. Pretending I'm looking through a microscope, here's really what I'm seeing:

Student Type #1 - I'll called these the highly-motivated-by-completing-tasks students.   To achieve these the high number of tasks, the students race through and fail their first test attempts. Then they take the second tests, and because there is no averaging of grades or penalty for trying a second time, their much improved grade on the second test gives the appearance they are "stellar" students. The top of these "task completers" are rewarded with a McDonald's lunch at the end of the month.

One of the little games I play with these students is trying to catch them at skipping any writing assignments that are sprinkled in their books and then refusing to grade any more of their books and/or giving them permission to take tests until they complete the writing assignments. They avoid writing like the plague because a)It takes too much time and b) It requires some creativity and imagination - not strong character trait over here. I know writing is important. I know they need to write to pass their "high stakes" tests. I know writing will improve their literacy and speaking. Unfortunately, this school is set up to reward completion of tasks that are easy to "grade", and writing does not have a place in the "system."

Spot checking also confirms that most of the students in this group have no idea what they have learned and how to apply it. They are basically good at regurgitating or memorizing the paragraphs of words they have copied from the answer keys but can't apply it to other types of assignments or classes.

Student Type #2 -I'll call these students the not-motivated-by-adult-imposed-tasks students. (some might call them "un-motivated" but it's more complicated than that). These students generally plod along, taking naps when needed, staring into space, and making time for a couple of games of cards or ping pong matches once their "minimal" (according to adult standards) targets have been met. These students pass the tests at about the same rate as Type #1 but they just take many fewer tests. What I like about this group is that they are interesting. They have hobbies. They have things to talk about. They can communicate even if they can't be bothered with grammar. But, again, with this "grading on completed tasks" system, they look like poor students.

Spot checking this group also confirms that they may not totally grasp what they've learned but they can throw out a couple of vocabulary words that indicate the general idea (even though it's not verbatim) what the answer key says.

So, why have I got the mid-term blues? I think it's the fact that I don't feel adequate in this position. I feel that the skills I am good at are underutilized, and the clerk-type checking of targets and marking every blank space in a workbook are incredibly boring.

I can't get excited for the Type 1 students who receive kudos and hamburgers at the end of each month, because I know that very few passed anything on the first try and I know they don't really understand. The emphasis on task completion is at odds with learning.

And, I feel sad about the Type 2 students. I feel like I'm more successful helping guide in their learning, but there are no tangible rewards for them.

As a result, I spent the weekend preparing a bulletin board with conversation games, idioms, self-quizzes, and places to showcase writing. It may not solve myt internal conflict between perception and reality, but it did ignite my creative side and uplift my mood.