My day today went something like this:
5:40 - First alarm goes off. Cue inner monalogue "Really? It's time to get up already?" SNOOZE
5:45 - Time to try and call Esther and make sure she's alive. If there's one person in the world less excited by mornings than I am, it's Esther. Granted, it only took one phone-call this morning, so it was bound to be a great day!
6:00 - Make sure the water heater has done it's job, jump into a delightfully hot shower, try not to get my hair wet as I can't be bothered reaching the extra metre to grab the shower cap.
6:21 - Phone call from Krista - not such a great day after all, she's sick :(
6:45 - On the way to work
6:58 - Step into my classroom and utter "Oh" - I'd forgotten the state in which I'd left my desk...
7:05 - Log onto the school system to make sure there's nothing in the inbox that will kick me later.
7:50 - Kidlets arrive and I begin to check homework, reading and make sure they are doing something constructive until school actually starts.
8:15 - The school bell rings and the day oficially begins. We head down to the meeting hall for assembly, where we are wonderfully informed and entertained by our Principal, my boss. He taught us about a story where Jesus healed a blind man, and the man then follwed Jesus.
8:50 - Year three make sure they have changed their reading books so that Miss Stevens wont turn into a dragon.
9:00 - MATHS - Learning how to read different scales, measures etc for Mass (weight).
10:00 - Morning Break - I am on duty, so I scamper down after the kids and moniter them in the playground. Having solved the worlds problems (brought to me by 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds), Í'm now ready to head back into the classroom.
10:20 - WRITING. Having decided that I need to go back and assess Narrative writing, we do a revision lesson on the structure, form and language used in a Narrative. Cue Head-desk moment, whereby it becomes apparant that the kids have drained that information OUT of their brains. Eventually we get there and the kids scrape together their understanding. I break the news that they have a writing task tomorrow. We decide that todays lesson should be writing a story that I will mark and give feedback on tomorrow before their task...
11:30 - CIRCLE TIME. We discuss and demonstrate co-operation, teamwork etc and hilarity ensues.
12:05 - Lunch break. I take a few moments to actually sit and enjoy my few minutes off, followed by pondering life and other things, enjoying adult conversation in the staffroom.
12:35 - Quiet reading, during which time I have to remind the class about 7 MILLION times that lunch is over, this is READING, not DRAMA time...
12:55 - PE. Usually at this time I would have year 4 for music, but with Krista away, and a sub on her class, I decide to keep things simple and keep the two classes together for PE. Capture the flag... Epic-ness! 3 tumbles, one applied first aid, 38 kids smiling and running... Success!
2:00 - Round up my angels and head back to class. Clean the classroom, give announcements, hand out notes, Pray together...
2:15 - Bell rings, heard lovelies onto busses wave fondly as they drive away
2:30 - Stumble into classroom and sigh at the amount of marking, planning etc still to be done...
3:30 - Give up and try to go home early, end up going to one of two butchers in Dhaka (that I know of) to pick up some bits and pieces.
4:00 - Make it back to school in time for the staff bus home.
4:15 - collapse on my bed, ready to sleep through the night...
Days like this make it sound as though I'm just a normal teacher - A-ha! I have you fooled!!! I forgot to mention I saw goats, rickshaws, cows, bricks on heads and an assortment of non-normal-classroom-window activities from my room today!! Next time I update in this sort of way, I'll have to make sure it's on a crazy more-true-t-life-in-Bangladesh kind of way!!
Peace, friends! Happy Monday!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
The downside of technology...
I love the internet. No, no, you don't really seem to get it... I LOVE the internet.
The internet is marvelous. It helps source materials for my lessons, allows me to download music, keeps me up-to-date with the news, shows me how to do stuff (aah google, you rock my world)... It also enables me to keep in contact with the outside world.
Bangladesh, in itself, is what you make of it. I am lucky to be surrounded by lovely people who for one reason or another think I'm cute enough, with a funny enough accent to keep around. Now, while this is true, good etc etc etc, it's not quite the same as being surrounded by people 'back home'.
I hate the internet. I loathe the internet. Honestly, you have no idea...
The internet reminds me that no matter how strong the wireless connection may be, there's no way I can actually BE with people 'back home'. The internet can show me photo's of memories 'back home', and I get to sit and whimper and feel homesick.
I LOVE the internet!!
Skype is an amazing invention which means I can talk to people without paying a cent. I can even see them move (depending on the strength of the connection) and watch as they pull funny faces at me...
I HATE the internet!!
Sometimes skype just isn't what you need. Some days you actually need a real hug from your mum. The internet just doesn't cut it!
On a side note, can you tell I'm home-sick right now??
Dear internet, sorry I'm hating on you right now! Our love affair will continue soon enough! Love Kim xox
The internet is marvelous. It helps source materials for my lessons, allows me to download music, keeps me up-to-date with the news, shows me how to do stuff (aah google, you rock my world)... It also enables me to keep in contact with the outside world.
Bangladesh, in itself, is what you make of it. I am lucky to be surrounded by lovely people who for one reason or another think I'm cute enough, with a funny enough accent to keep around. Now, while this is true, good etc etc etc, it's not quite the same as being surrounded by people 'back home'.
I hate the internet. I loathe the internet. Honestly, you have no idea...
The internet reminds me that no matter how strong the wireless connection may be, there's no way I can actually BE with people 'back home'. The internet can show me photo's of memories 'back home', and I get to sit and whimper and feel homesick.
I LOVE the internet!!
Skype is an amazing invention which means I can talk to people without paying a cent. I can even see them move (depending on the strength of the connection) and watch as they pull funny faces at me...
I HATE the internet!!
Sometimes skype just isn't what you need. Some days you actually need a real hug from your mum. The internet just doesn't cut it!
On a side note, can you tell I'm home-sick right now??
Dear internet, sorry I'm hating on you right now! Our love affair will continue soon enough! Love Kim xox
Monday, January 10, 2011
Rants and Revues
Making the journey back to Bangladesh is a very special thing. Some may say I am underqualified in making such an assumption, but seeing as I've just made my fourth pilgramige back to 'the Desh' (in eighteen months... really?!), I feel I am allowed to have some sort of opinion on the matter. Travelling to Bangladesh requires only two flights from Australia (thank goodness, I don't think I'd have the patience for the 4, 5 or 6 plane journeys that some people have to make in order to get here). The first is to somewhere in Asia, usually either Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong. This overly normal flight is followed by one that is somewhat different... For starters, bags of peanuts aren't on the agenda... That aside, the second flight from afore-mentioned Asian airport to Bangladesh provides many things that could either make someone angry, or cause laughter-induced tears. This time, it was the laughter tears... See below!
For some strange reason, my flight from Singapore to Dhaka this time didn't seem to include a Bangla-speaking stewardess. Let the misunderstandings and lack of communication begin!!! Being an incredibly turbulent flight due to weather conditions, there were many announcements reguarding seatbelts and the advisement to stay in seats. Did that little woman in a sari care? Nope! She also didn't care that we were landing and she was wandering around... Or that as we're taxiing to our landing gate, she's already walked up (followed by a friend, mind you) to the plane door... Hahahahahaha!!!!
Of course, we're talking about travelling in Bangladesh, so there MUST be a blanket on a head, surely! Not only was there a seemingly unending sea of blankets covering from peoples toes to top hats, but there were three of four twenty-something bengali men who felt entitled to the ownership of the airline blankets. I can only assume that last part because they walked off the plane wrapped in said items. Having dealt with a lack of response to every request, the poor air hostess near us just turned to us and said something along the lines of 'I'm just going to let that one slide'. It seems, the line of sanity comes between giving unresponded-to instructions and allowing the wrongful aquisition of a few blankets...
I bet you want to fly to Bangladesh now, right?!
For some strange reason, my flight from Singapore to Dhaka this time didn't seem to include a Bangla-speaking stewardess. Let the misunderstandings and lack of communication begin!!! Being an incredibly turbulent flight due to weather conditions, there were many announcements reguarding seatbelts and the advisement to stay in seats. Did that little woman in a sari care? Nope! She also didn't care that we were landing and she was wandering around... Or that as we're taxiing to our landing gate, she's already walked up (followed by a friend, mind you) to the plane door... Hahahahahaha!!!!
Of course, we're talking about travelling in Bangladesh, so there MUST be a blanket on a head, surely! Not only was there a seemingly unending sea of blankets covering from peoples toes to top hats, but there were three of four twenty-something bengali men who felt entitled to the ownership of the airline blankets. I can only assume that last part because they walked off the plane wrapped in said items. Having dealt with a lack of response to every request, the poor air hostess near us just turned to us and said something along the lines of 'I'm just going to let that one slide'. It seems, the line of sanity comes between giving unresponded-to instructions and allowing the wrongful aquisition of a few blankets...
I bet you want to fly to Bangladesh now, right?!
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Monday, January 31, 2011
A day in the life...
My day today went something like this:
5:40 - First alarm goes off. Cue inner monalogue "Really? It's time to get up already?" SNOOZE
5:45 - Time to try and call Esther and make sure she's alive. If there's one person in the world less excited by mornings than I am, it's Esther. Granted, it only took one phone-call this morning, so it was bound to be a great day!
6:00 - Make sure the water heater has done it's job, jump into a delightfully hot shower, try not to get my hair wet as I can't be bothered reaching the extra metre to grab the shower cap.
6:21 - Phone call from Krista - not such a great day after all, she's sick :(
6:45 - On the way to work
6:58 - Step into my classroom and utter "Oh" - I'd forgotten the state in which I'd left my desk...
7:05 - Log onto the school system to make sure there's nothing in the inbox that will kick me later.
7:50 - Kidlets arrive and I begin to check homework, reading and make sure they are doing something constructive until school actually starts.
8:15 - The school bell rings and the day oficially begins. We head down to the meeting hall for assembly, where we are wonderfully informed and entertained by our Principal, my boss. He taught us about a story where Jesus healed a blind man, and the man then follwed Jesus.
8:50 - Year three make sure they have changed their reading books so that Miss Stevens wont turn into a dragon.
9:00 - MATHS - Learning how to read different scales, measures etc for Mass (weight).
10:00 - Morning Break - I am on duty, so I scamper down after the kids and moniter them in the playground. Having solved the worlds problems (brought to me by 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds), Í'm now ready to head back into the classroom.
10:20 - WRITING. Having decided that I need to go back and assess Narrative writing, we do a revision lesson on the structure, form and language used in a Narrative. Cue Head-desk moment, whereby it becomes apparant that the kids have drained that information OUT of their brains. Eventually we get there and the kids scrape together their understanding. I break the news that they have a writing task tomorrow. We decide that todays lesson should be writing a story that I will mark and give feedback on tomorrow before their task...
11:30 - CIRCLE TIME. We discuss and demonstrate co-operation, teamwork etc and hilarity ensues.
12:05 - Lunch break. I take a few moments to actually sit and enjoy my few minutes off, followed by pondering life and other things, enjoying adult conversation in the staffroom.
12:35 - Quiet reading, during which time I have to remind the class about 7 MILLION times that lunch is over, this is READING, not DRAMA time...
12:55 - PE. Usually at this time I would have year 4 for music, but with Krista away, and a sub on her class, I decide to keep things simple and keep the two classes together for PE. Capture the flag... Epic-ness! 3 tumbles, one applied first aid, 38 kids smiling and running... Success!
2:00 - Round up my angels and head back to class. Clean the classroom, give announcements, hand out notes, Pray together...
2:15 - Bell rings, heard lovelies onto busses wave fondly as they drive away
2:30 - Stumble into classroom and sigh at the amount of marking, planning etc still to be done...
3:30 - Give up and try to go home early, end up going to one of two butchers in Dhaka (that I know of) to pick up some bits and pieces.
4:00 - Make it back to school in time for the staff bus home.
4:15 - collapse on my bed, ready to sleep through the night...
Days like this make it sound as though I'm just a normal teacher - A-ha! I have you fooled!!! I forgot to mention I saw goats, rickshaws, cows, bricks on heads and an assortment of non-normal-classroom-window activities from my room today!! Next time I update in this sort of way, I'll have to make sure it's on a crazy more-true-t-life-in-Bangladesh kind of way!!
Peace, friends! Happy Monday!
5:40 - First alarm goes off. Cue inner monalogue "Really? It's time to get up already?" SNOOZE
5:45 - Time to try and call Esther and make sure she's alive. If there's one person in the world less excited by mornings than I am, it's Esther. Granted, it only took one phone-call this morning, so it was bound to be a great day!
6:00 - Make sure the water heater has done it's job, jump into a delightfully hot shower, try not to get my hair wet as I can't be bothered reaching the extra metre to grab the shower cap.
6:21 - Phone call from Krista - not such a great day after all, she's sick :(
6:45 - On the way to work
6:58 - Step into my classroom and utter "Oh" - I'd forgotten the state in which I'd left my desk...
7:05 - Log onto the school system to make sure there's nothing in the inbox that will kick me later.
7:50 - Kidlets arrive and I begin to check homework, reading and make sure they are doing something constructive until school actually starts.
8:15 - The school bell rings and the day oficially begins. We head down to the meeting hall for assembly, where we are wonderfully informed and entertained by our Principal, my boss. He taught us about a story where Jesus healed a blind man, and the man then follwed Jesus.
8:50 - Year three make sure they have changed their reading books so that Miss Stevens wont turn into a dragon.
9:00 - MATHS - Learning how to read different scales, measures etc for Mass (weight).
10:00 - Morning Break - I am on duty, so I scamper down after the kids and moniter them in the playground. Having solved the worlds problems (brought to me by 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds), Í'm now ready to head back into the classroom.
10:20 - WRITING. Having decided that I need to go back and assess Narrative writing, we do a revision lesson on the structure, form and language used in a Narrative. Cue Head-desk moment, whereby it becomes apparant that the kids have drained that information OUT of their brains. Eventually we get there and the kids scrape together their understanding. I break the news that they have a writing task tomorrow. We decide that todays lesson should be writing a story that I will mark and give feedback on tomorrow before their task...
11:30 - CIRCLE TIME. We discuss and demonstrate co-operation, teamwork etc and hilarity ensues.
12:05 - Lunch break. I take a few moments to actually sit and enjoy my few minutes off, followed by pondering life and other things, enjoying adult conversation in the staffroom.
12:35 - Quiet reading, during which time I have to remind the class about 7 MILLION times that lunch is over, this is READING, not DRAMA time...
12:55 - PE. Usually at this time I would have year 4 for music, but with Krista away, and a sub on her class, I decide to keep things simple and keep the two classes together for PE. Capture the flag... Epic-ness! 3 tumbles, one applied first aid, 38 kids smiling and running... Success!
2:00 - Round up my angels and head back to class. Clean the classroom, give announcements, hand out notes, Pray together...
2:15 - Bell rings, heard lovelies onto busses wave fondly as they drive away
2:30 - Stumble into classroom and sigh at the amount of marking, planning etc still to be done...
3:30 - Give up and try to go home early, end up going to one of two butchers in Dhaka (that I know of) to pick up some bits and pieces.
4:00 - Make it back to school in time for the staff bus home.
4:15 - collapse on my bed, ready to sleep through the night...
Days like this make it sound as though I'm just a normal teacher - A-ha! I have you fooled!!! I forgot to mention I saw goats, rickshaws, cows, bricks on heads and an assortment of non-normal-classroom-window activities from my room today!! Next time I update in this sort of way, I'll have to make sure it's on a crazy more-true-t-life-in-Bangladesh kind of way!!
Peace, friends! Happy Monday!
Friday, January 28, 2011
The downside of technology...
I love the internet. No, no, you don't really seem to get it... I LOVE the internet.
The internet is marvelous. It helps source materials for my lessons, allows me to download music, keeps me up-to-date with the news, shows me how to do stuff (aah google, you rock my world)... It also enables me to keep in contact with the outside world.
Bangladesh, in itself, is what you make of it. I am lucky to be surrounded by lovely people who for one reason or another think I'm cute enough, with a funny enough accent to keep around. Now, while this is true, good etc etc etc, it's not quite the same as being surrounded by people 'back home'.
I hate the internet. I loathe the internet. Honestly, you have no idea...
The internet reminds me that no matter how strong the wireless connection may be, there's no way I can actually BE with people 'back home'. The internet can show me photo's of memories 'back home', and I get to sit and whimper and feel homesick.
I LOVE the internet!!
Skype is an amazing invention which means I can talk to people without paying a cent. I can even see them move (depending on the strength of the connection) and watch as they pull funny faces at me...
I HATE the internet!!
Sometimes skype just isn't what you need. Some days you actually need a real hug from your mum. The internet just doesn't cut it!
On a side note, can you tell I'm home-sick right now??
Dear internet, sorry I'm hating on you right now! Our love affair will continue soon enough! Love Kim xox
The internet is marvelous. It helps source materials for my lessons, allows me to download music, keeps me up-to-date with the news, shows me how to do stuff (aah google, you rock my world)... It also enables me to keep in contact with the outside world.
Bangladesh, in itself, is what you make of it. I am lucky to be surrounded by lovely people who for one reason or another think I'm cute enough, with a funny enough accent to keep around. Now, while this is true, good etc etc etc, it's not quite the same as being surrounded by people 'back home'.
I hate the internet. I loathe the internet. Honestly, you have no idea...
The internet reminds me that no matter how strong the wireless connection may be, there's no way I can actually BE with people 'back home'. The internet can show me photo's of memories 'back home', and I get to sit and whimper and feel homesick.
I LOVE the internet!!
Skype is an amazing invention which means I can talk to people without paying a cent. I can even see them move (depending on the strength of the connection) and watch as they pull funny faces at me...
I HATE the internet!!
Sometimes skype just isn't what you need. Some days you actually need a real hug from your mum. The internet just doesn't cut it!
On a side note, can you tell I'm home-sick right now??
Dear internet, sorry I'm hating on you right now! Our love affair will continue soon enough! Love Kim xox
Monday, January 10, 2011
Rants and Revues
Making the journey back to Bangladesh is a very special thing. Some may say I am underqualified in making such an assumption, but seeing as I've just made my fourth pilgramige back to 'the Desh' (in eighteen months... really?!), I feel I am allowed to have some sort of opinion on the matter. Travelling to Bangladesh requires only two flights from Australia (thank goodness, I don't think I'd have the patience for the 4, 5 or 6 plane journeys that some people have to make in order to get here). The first is to somewhere in Asia, usually either Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Hong Kong. This overly normal flight is followed by one that is somewhat different... For starters, bags of peanuts aren't on the agenda... That aside, the second flight from afore-mentioned Asian airport to Bangladesh provides many things that could either make someone angry, or cause laughter-induced tears. This time, it was the laughter tears... See below!
For some strange reason, my flight from Singapore to Dhaka this time didn't seem to include a Bangla-speaking stewardess. Let the misunderstandings and lack of communication begin!!! Being an incredibly turbulent flight due to weather conditions, there were many announcements reguarding seatbelts and the advisement to stay in seats. Did that little woman in a sari care? Nope! She also didn't care that we were landing and she was wandering around... Or that as we're taxiing to our landing gate, she's already walked up (followed by a friend, mind you) to the plane door... Hahahahahaha!!!!
Of course, we're talking about travelling in Bangladesh, so there MUST be a blanket on a head, surely! Not only was there a seemingly unending sea of blankets covering from peoples toes to top hats, but there were three of four twenty-something bengali men who felt entitled to the ownership of the airline blankets. I can only assume that last part because they walked off the plane wrapped in said items. Having dealt with a lack of response to every request, the poor air hostess near us just turned to us and said something along the lines of 'I'm just going to let that one slide'. It seems, the line of sanity comes between giving unresponded-to instructions and allowing the wrongful aquisition of a few blankets...
I bet you want to fly to Bangladesh now, right?!
For some strange reason, my flight from Singapore to Dhaka this time didn't seem to include a Bangla-speaking stewardess. Let the misunderstandings and lack of communication begin!!! Being an incredibly turbulent flight due to weather conditions, there were many announcements reguarding seatbelts and the advisement to stay in seats. Did that little woman in a sari care? Nope! She also didn't care that we were landing and she was wandering around... Or that as we're taxiing to our landing gate, she's already walked up (followed by a friend, mind you) to the plane door... Hahahahahaha!!!!
Of course, we're talking about travelling in Bangladesh, so there MUST be a blanket on a head, surely! Not only was there a seemingly unending sea of blankets covering from peoples toes to top hats, but there were three of four twenty-something bengali men who felt entitled to the ownership of the airline blankets. I can only assume that last part because they walked off the plane wrapped in said items. Having dealt with a lack of response to every request, the poor air hostess near us just turned to us and said something along the lines of 'I'm just going to let that one slide'. It seems, the line of sanity comes between giving unresponded-to instructions and allowing the wrongful aquisition of a few blankets...
I bet you want to fly to Bangladesh now, right?!
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