Sortin' it out and makin' it work.
I didn't get this far to give up. Fired or not I believe that what I'm doing here is important. Sure I am teaching the grown children of the Sudanese elite, the ones who will possibly become part of future problems... but they can also be part of Sudan's solution.
There is a problem with volunteer work (and this includes doing free burlesque gigs, and even applies to relationships) : if you offer something for free or for too cheap it isn't appreciated, it loses value and without value it becomes disposable. But the students themselves know the importance English will play in their future and the rarity of finding a native speaker who will give them time. Many of the faculty of arts students don't bother to show up for classes, but many, many more from other departments beg me to just help them practice speaking and listening. So I invite them along to my smaller classes.
Sorting out understanding:
I will always be a foreigner here. I don't think I'll ever get it. There are some things that I don't have to understand, but I do need to accept. It appears to be difficult for a Sudanese to say "I don't know" I have noticed this in my classes a lot. And it also seems to be difficult to give someone bad news, better just to give an answer to a different question. I have never intended to cause offence, but of course I will when I have no idea what is offencive. Like, for example, it is offencive to offer you seat on a full bus to an old man with a walking stick... because maybe this tells him that he is so feeble that even a weak female thinks he can't even stand by himself. The line between disrespectful and respectful had changed and I don't know where it is anymore.
Sorting out feeling safe here:
I can't rely on the program to help me if I need it. But I can rely on others. Anna has taken me to the British Embassy and I have been able to register with them by emailing a scan of my passport (thank goodness for forethought). We have made contact with out local area warden. So if the president decided to kick out all foreigners, if I get sick, if a student demonstration goes bad or if the US decides to bomb another factory, I know of places to go and people who can help. I have also been offered support from one of my student's families, and newspaper staff. Normally I'm content to flutter about a country without insurance. But Sudan is different, things can happen. 
Sorting out feeling happy here:
In a couple of weeks the Visa process should be though. Governmental things change all the time. Now the coordinator (I think unwilling to have to be the messenger who has to fire me again) tells me the bad news (instead of making it all seem like things are happening when they are not). Unfortunately we probably won't have the passports back before Christmas when we all have a day off and were hoping to travel north to see the Sudanese pyramids, I think we might be able to do it with just photocopies of the front pages, but knowing this we can work around it. Also I may not have the Visa before the Eid holidays after new years, I think it is my only long holiday while working here and I was planning to visit the Red Sea, but knowing that it might not be possible means I can think of alternative ideas. The coordinator has promised to personally hand me my passport when this is complete. When I get that back I'll feel secure and I won't have any reason to have to deal with the programme management anymore. I will be able to sleep sound and I can just get on with my work.
Sorting out Sudanese cultural understanding:
Today's lesson warmer is going to be on answering questions. first I'll teach them "I don't know" and ask the each a question they don't know like "what is my middle name?". It's absolutely fine to not know, nobody knows everything. Then I'll teach Verb-Noun questions (do you, is it etc) require yes/no answers. Then I'll build up to 'WH' questions in which 'where' needs a place and 'when' needs a time. So while I adjust to the rest of the country at least the 12 young people that I have in my class today will gain a slight understanding to how to communicate with us up-tight foreigners effectively.
There is a problem with volunteer work (and this includes doing free burlesque gigs, and even applies to relationships) : if you offer something for free or for too cheap it isn't appreciated, it loses value and without value it becomes disposable. But the students themselves know the importance English will play in their future and the rarity of finding a native speaker who will give them time. Many of the faculty of arts students don't bother to show up for classes, but many, many more from other departments beg me to just help them practice speaking and listening. So I invite them along to my smaller classes.
Sorting out understanding:
I will always be a foreigner here. I don't think I'll ever get it. There are some things that I don't have to understand, but I do need to accept. It appears to be difficult for a Sudanese to say "I don't know" I have noticed this in my classes a lot. And it also seems to be difficult to give someone bad news, better just to give an answer to a different question. I have never intended to cause offence, but of course I will when I have no idea what is offencive. Like, for example, it is offencive to offer you seat on a full bus to an old man with a walking stick... because maybe this tells him that he is so feeble that even a weak female thinks he can't even stand by himself. The line between disrespectful and respectful had changed and I don't know where it is anymore.
Sorting out feeling safe here:
I can't rely on the program to help me if I need it. But I can rely on others. Anna has taken me to the British Embassy and I have been able to register with them by emailing a scan of my passport (thank goodness for forethought). We have made contact with out local area warden. So if the president decided to kick out all foreigners, if I get sick, if a student demonstration goes bad or if the US decides to bomb another factory, I know of places to go and people who can help. I have also been offered support from one of my student's families, and newspaper staff. Normally I'm content to flutter about a country without insurance. But Sudan is different, things can happen.
Sorting out feeling happy here:
In a couple of weeks the Visa process should be though. Governmental things change all the time. Now the coordinator (I think unwilling to have to be the messenger who has to fire me again) tells me the bad news (instead of making it all seem like things are happening when they are not). Unfortunately we probably won't have the passports back before Christmas when we all have a day off and were hoping to travel north to see the Sudanese pyramids, I think we might be able to do it with just photocopies of the front pages, but knowing this we can work around it. Also I may not have the Visa before the Eid holidays after new years, I think it is my only long holiday while working here and I was planning to visit the Red Sea, but knowing that it might not be possible means I can think of alternative ideas. The coordinator has promised to personally hand me my passport when this is complete. When I get that back I'll feel secure and I won't have any reason to have to deal with the programme management anymore. I will be able to sleep sound and I can just get on with my work.
Sorting out Sudanese cultural understanding:
Today's lesson warmer is going to be on answering questions. first I'll teach them "I don't know" and ask the each a question they don't know like "what is my middle name?". It's absolutely fine to not know, nobody knows everything. Then I'll teach Verb-Noun questions (do you, is it etc) require yes/no answers. Then I'll build up to 'WH' questions in which 'where' needs a place and 'when' needs a time. So while I adjust to the rest of the country at least the 12 young people that I have in my class today will gain a slight understanding to how to communicate with us up-tight foreigners effectively.
posted by Rachel | 11:01 am
2 Comments:
Rach! Foxy! Walton! Drama!
That all sounds quite dramatic - the firing, the hiring, the general uncertainty and security concerns. Permission to insert cliche here: Hang in there! You (as you know) are there for a reason. Stick with it and hopefully you get a bit of a holiday and a look around.
It's more exciting than Wanganui - that's for sure!
Have a good Christmas. (Or Holiday Season if that's a better more correct term in your part of the world...)
Txx
Tom!
just found your comment. Ta love. come on, wanganui can be exciting, there's uncertainty and security concerns of wondering if you can get home with your boots still on or if your car will stil be there in the morning.
hope you had a good one.
x rach
I didn't know that you could delete your own comments... I thought only I could do that.
Hey Mistress Lenore
ta love. glad to have you aboard.
X rachel
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