So the driver we hired...Damn! I can't remember his name...(guess I really am an American). Keeps taking the longest possible way to work, the guy's great and all, he works cheap (300 SAR for a 6 day week), drives better than our boss who was driving us to and from work, and he dropped off and picked up my laundry! But he was ten minutes late today, which shouldn't have been a big deal, but with traffic in a city like Riyadh and a driver who seems to keep getting lost...I walked into my class 5 minutes late this morning, luckily for me, my students are on their week of adjustment to their new American instructor and they were 10 min late (10 min early by Saudi standards). Tomorrow were going to try and have him pick us up even earlier so that we can make the 30 min drive in 60 min...FML 6 day work weeks @ 9 hours a day with a minimum of a 90 minute commute on top...The good news? When we finally get to a compound with other Westerners, we'll be an additional 30 min from the DQ, were going to end up getting up at 4am to be at work by 8, what is this DC or something?
So, my students are great...when they're awake, when they're actually in class and when they're able to understand English. I sound like I'm bitching, but I'm really not, they're great students, and very welcoming, I love working with them, problem is my higher up's want them ready NOW! And for some stupid reason they have the utmost faith in my ability to pull off such a stunt...Great, never thought I'd bitch about an employer having faith in my abilities. One of the biggest problems with my class (Justin's is great) is that they're last instructor kinda believed in a "self taught" approach, he came in late, left early and never assigned them any work, at least according to them, So since I was supposed to be here in September, but didn't get approved for a Visa until November, I'm now playing catch-up in a major way, a huge way, a ridiculous way.---The first day I told them that I could teach a monkey to do this job, if he would read the book at home the night before my lecture and ask me to clarify what he didn't understand. A student on the far side of the room raised his hand and said "Sir, what book should we be reading from?"....Really? Seriously? Lord, just because I took a job in the land of Islam, doesn't mean I forsook you! Alright, that's not fair, I wasn't a good Christian anywhere or ever.
It's going to be a beautiful 78 degrees tomorrow, 26 Celsius, and except that I'll be up around 5:30, a great day I'm sure. They're getting their first quiz tomorrow, its so easy that my American students could pass the damn thing...Oh wait, I gave it to my last class of Americans and only 75% passed with only 1 perfect score...This might be ugly, oh well, nobody ever promised them a rose garden...wait correct that, yes they did and apparently I'm it...FML, I wonder if they're texting their friends tonight saying "you should see this American idiot...F our Lives!" lmao, probably they are!
So, my students are great...when they're awake, when they're actually in class and when they're able to understand English. I sound like I'm bitching, but I'm really not, they're great students, and very welcoming, I love working with them, problem is my higher up's want them ready NOW! And for some stupid reason they have the utmost faith in my ability to pull off such a stunt...Great, never thought I'd bitch about an employer having faith in my abilities. One of the biggest problems with my class (Justin's is great) is that they're last instructor kinda believed in a "self taught" approach, he came in late, left early and never assigned them any work, at least according to them, So since I was supposed to be here in September, but didn't get approved for a Visa until November, I'm now playing catch-up in a major way, a huge way, a ridiculous way.---The first day I told them that I could teach a monkey to do this job, if he would read the book at home the night before my lecture and ask me to clarify what he didn't understand. A student on the far side of the room raised his hand and said "Sir, what book should we be reading from?"....Really? Seriously? Lord, just because I took a job in the land of Islam, doesn't mean I forsook you! Alright, that's not fair, I wasn't a good Christian anywhere or ever.
It's going to be a beautiful 78 degrees tomorrow, 26 Celsius, and except that I'll be up around 5:30, a great day I'm sure. They're getting their first quiz tomorrow, its so easy that my American students could pass the damn thing...Oh wait, I gave it to my last class of Americans and only 75% passed with only 1 perfect score...This might be ugly, oh well, nobody ever promised them a rose garden...wait correct that, yes they did and apparently I'm it...FML, I wonder if they're texting their friends tonight saying "you should see this American idiot...F our Lives!" lmao, probably they are!
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