I'm not really that bummed out, I just always thought that line packed a punch and at the same time rang true so often in life, and today it applies...
As the semester winds down, the cracks begin to show. Not only in the students and the instructors, but the entire apparatus as a whole. Large western companies with experienced professional staff even start to crack under this kind of workload, here though it looks like someone dropped an egg. Today is a day that the College has chosen to begin the processing of Visa's and collection of Iqama's that must be traded for the passports that have been taken, mutilated and held hostage all year, lest an employee get the crazy idea to act as a free human being and go somewhere else. We can't have that now can we.
What really happened today though was that the machine broke down.
Sure, sure it was already running slow, but now its broken. All because one instructor is leaving a week early to pick up his family and return almost immediately. You see this wasn't in the plan, and he's only Filipino...so nah...why bother? Never mind the man has had to spend nearly 10k Riyals on the airfare. Never mind that its his God Given right as a human being to return to his country if he so desires. Never mind the fact that he requested permission over 60 days ago, never mind that he is overworked, underpaid and is planning to be back in time to teach summer school, never mind even that he's a fellow Muslim, administration doesn't feel like doing it, so they're not going to. WTF?
Students have started to get results from the first week of finals and now they come to your office at first begging and then demanding extra "marks". Extra "marks" for what? That was my first question...Apparently they're called "consideration marks". Its basically like asking the instructor to give you a better grade because you like him and you had enough respect to come see him first, before you went to the Dean and demanded a higher grade. REALLY? WTF? Its bad enough that a 59% is passing here. I mean in any type of US or western based health education passing scores are 80%. 79% is failing with 1 re-take. I should know, I got a letter grade of C- in Paramedic school. My percentage was 81% I passed the National test on the first shot as well. Today I witnessed a student with 3 grades in the 30's ask for "consideration"...Simply put...NO!
Passports are another thing that just set my ass on fire. For some reason, a few companies in the KSA still follow the old law (still allowed) and confiscate the employee's passport so that they can't "run away". They also can't go on vacation, or go to nearby countries over the weekend. After months of bitching, I finally managed to get back my illegally stickerd, and stapled and folded passport and keep it probably because my employer refused to issue an exit Visa for local travel on weekends. Now that it's getting close to vacation though, I need my vacation visa. This morning, they told me no problem, give us the passport, and we'll give you the visa. I said "no", they said "then no vacation". I smiled and said "OK, we'll see". How about just answering me this question. What business does a Non-American employee have holding, bending, stapling and mutilating a piece of US Government property? Just answer me that question, and I'll consider giving it back to you to play with again. Until that point though...Pound Sand buddy...
These things and a few others can just really wear you down. Today especially its these things that make me realize that like my job or not, care about my students or not, work very hard or not, want to make things better or not, well paid or not, I'm just an indentured servant. Just one step above a slave really, one slip too many and the master can quickly put you in your place. There are days here when you realize that your job is not to do your job, its to do whatever they tell you to do today. If you don't like it you can...you can what? They're holding your passport...they're allowed to freeze your bank accounts...they can apparently go to the Ministry of Labor and mark you as essential personnel and FORCE you to go to work. Failure to show up could get you put in jail and eventually deported. Money stolen, belongings misplaced, nothing but the dirty clothes on your back. These things...well they make you realize that if you came to work one morning and your boss said get on the table and dance...well, you're probably best to get on the damn table and dance. These things ladies and gentlemen, these things that they can do...these things make me feel like a whore...
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