Wednesday, July 21, 2010

A New Week, A New Experience

Monday and Tuesday we broke into grade level groups and learned the art of Scasy (which is our online grade book - which the PYP - primary years program - teachers only use for report cards) and also how to run our email and online calendar .

In the afternoon we had to work in our classrooms. The classrooms were not cleaned from the previous year and there are things hanging from the ceiling and bulletin boards up, etc.
3rd grade, which I teach this year, is now located in the old art room. And let me just say that the room is a pit!! Paint on the walls, on the floor, pretty much anywhere where it shouldn't be!
I ripped things off the wall and ceiling, emptied out filing cabinets and started bulletin boards. I made a big dent in cleaning and reorganization though.

Wednesday we met the majority of the staff. It was so nice to branch off and meet the other expats and nationals.We had a in-house retreat in the gym and had a minor (ha) communication error. The speaker only spoke Bahasa, so one of the teachers, Scott, translated for us.
We had headphones in and listened to him speak. However mine didn't work. I couldn't hear anything. I figured everyone else had this same problem since other expats were doodling or journaling or even writing the power point slide notes in Bahasa. Oh no, they heard it.
I sat for an hour and a half trying to keep from fidgeting (which for me is HIGHLY challenging).
After the first round we took a break and I realized I was the only one that hadn't heard it. Oh my, I was annoyed. But I have to admit it was a unique experience.

I was in a room of nearly almost all bi-lingual people and here I am, an English speaker that occasionally uses tiny spouts of spanish. It was like a whirlwind around me. It's a surreal experience to be in a room when the language only being spoken is not your own.

Not knowing Bahasa has proven to be quite a challenge. Everyone in Sentul knows basic English, or enough to get by. However it's not like that outside the city limits. Usually I point (with my thumb) to pictures or make hand gestures to get my point across. I have to admit I have not gotten to the point of exasperation, but there are times where it is a bit discouraging.

In September during Ramadan I am going to Jokeja to do some language training with another expat. We get a week and a half break for Ramadan (which everyone here calls 'holiday' not 'break). I think that this language training will help me communicate better. One small step in the right direction will open a world of possibilities and communication.

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