Ok so I'm sorry I've been neglecting the blog but really teaching and lesson planning is taking over my life. To be honest I sit in a classroom all day, scribbling madly on sheets of paper, trying to predict what my students may or may not understand, for 7 hours I do this and for what? For a 50 minute class. But friends, that 50 minute class, feels like the world. Watching the students smile as they understand and really, truly want to learn is an unbelievable feeling. While I know these aren't really my students and I'm not really responsible for their learning, I still feel some sense of accomplishment when they leave the classroom and I hear them saying "that was one of the most fun classes I've ever had," and while their sentences may not be grammatically correct or even make sense, I get the gist and thats all that matters.
I always thought that lesson planning was somethign that would be easy, you simply decide what you are going to say, write it down and then teach it. This however, is not the case, you spend hours agonizing over what the students will enjoy, what will help them the most and what will make the most difference in their lives. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I could make it through this whole lesson planning thing. Everyone has their own unique talent, for example, Deb is amazing at coming up with activities, Amanda is great with topics for conversation and Hebah is great with creative questions. This is a group effort, while we may be alone in the classroom, behind the scenes each lesson plan takes a group of teachers to complete it.
Now that my time here is wrapping up, I'm beginning to think that perhaps I am cut out to be a teacher. Yesterday after my class when I was getting feedback from my observer, she asked me if I had ever been a professional teacher, naturally I laughed in her face. I'm nervous, not confident, I stutter and forget the students' names and yet somehow I'm doing something right.
I have 3 days left and I'm wishing every minute would pass slower than it is. I'm dreading the moments when I will have to say goodbye to both my students and my friends.
Enough for now, time to lesson plan.
Meggie
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
The Real Agami
I have been in Alexandria for almost three weeks now and until last night had yet to experience the "real" city. When I was in Luxor, the boys and I walked around mostly residential areas, allowing me to see how real Egyptians live. Had I not been with the boys, I never would have experienced this.
The same is true of Alex. Luckily we have a few native friends who were nice enough to take us to the Souk (the market) or what they call, the "local area," meaning a place tourists don't frequent. Let me tell you, it may have been one of the most interesting experiences of my life. There were people everywhere, yelling and pushing each other out of the way. I have never experienced a level of noise that compares to this. Mostly people were interested in us, we got the usual stares and cat calls, but nothing out of the ordinary. I assume this is because, literally, we had men (as in our friends) surrounding us on all sides to be sure, as Mohamme put it, that no one bothers us.
After walking around for a while, one of our friends invited us to his home, something we were reluctant to do but decided to accept. I have experienced Egyptian hospitality on several occasions, however, this was the first for the rest of the group. They were so welcoming and warm, offering us drinks and food even after we refused several times. We took some amazing pictures of the area and met some great people, overall one of the most interesting experiences I've had in Agami thus far.
Kisses for everyone,
Meg
The same is true of Alex. Luckily we have a few native friends who were nice enough to take us to the Souk (the market) or what they call, the "local area," meaning a place tourists don't frequent. Let me tell you, it may have been one of the most interesting experiences of my life. There were people everywhere, yelling and pushing each other out of the way. I have never experienced a level of noise that compares to this. Mostly people were interested in us, we got the usual stares and cat calls, but nothing out of the ordinary. I assume this is because, literally, we had men (as in our friends) surrounding us on all sides to be sure, as Mohamme put it, that no one bothers us.
After walking around for a while, one of our friends invited us to his home, something we were reluctant to do but decided to accept. I have experienced Egyptian hospitality on several occasions, however, this was the first for the rest of the group. They were so welcoming and warm, offering us drinks and food even after we refused several times. We took some amazing pictures of the area and met some great people, overall one of the most interesting experiences I've had in Agami thus far.
Kisses for everyone,
Meg
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Lifes a Beach
So this weekend turned out to be one of the most relaxing we've had thus far. We slept in, caught up on homework and spent most of our time sitting next to the ocean. Sorry for the lack of posts lately, when you're sitting next to the beach and soaking up the sun, its quite difficult to pull yourself away. School is going well, not sure how much I'm actually learning but its the people I've met that are most important. Perhaps one of my favorite people thus far is Sayid, our friend that works in the accessory store down the street. We invited him to the beach with us yesterday and from the look on his face you would have thought we offered him the world. While he doesn't really speak English and I have to rely on Hebs to translate what he is saying, he is none the less, precious. He was obsessed with my camera and as you'll see from facebook, took about a million pictures of our beach day. The people here are so friendly and honestly we've known them such a short amount of time and yet I know that if we needed something or had any sort of problem in the city, they would be next to us in a heart beat. Like I said before, the only thing that matters to the Egyptian people are their families and friends. Once you're a friend you're in for life.
Back to school for now, more updates later.
Love you guys!
M.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
"Wish you were here"
Yesterday I was a teacher for the first time. No really, I was. Before we begin our actual classroom teaching, we have one on one sessions with an English student. Some of us had young learners (children under 15) but most of us had adults.
My student's name is Mohab, he is 20 and an art student at Alexandria University, he is a sculptor. To be perfectly honest, the first 10 minutes may have been some of the most awkward of my life, it was like pulling teeth to get him to answer a question with a yes or no answer, let alone complete a sentence. He has had English classes since he was six but hasn't had any since he has been at University and thus is a bit rusty and so shy about speaking. When he finally opened his mouth and spoke more than a yes or no, I was amazed. His English was wonderful, so proper and with his lilting accent, it almost sounded like he had walked straight out of a movie.
Once I got him talking, literally I couldn't get him to shut up. I learned he LOVES Pink Floyd (hence the post title), has a girlfriend and will graduate next May. While his English is quite good, there are still a few things he needs to work on and so I spent most of the night last night, preparing a lesson to fit his needs. I can't wait until we meet today!
On another note, I have noticed that the students here are extremely accomplished. Mohab not only attends University but also play s the violin and the guitar as well as works part time in his father's company. Children here are taught from an early age that you must work yourself to death in order to succeed in this country because no one will help you get to where you want to be.
In the US we always say its not about what you know but rather who you know. This is not the case in Egypt. Everyone is self centered, they live in their own worlds, blind to the atrocities that are going on around them. If an event doesn't involve them, their family or close friends then its almost as if it doesn't exist. They would never stop and help a stranger who has fallen on the street or open the door for a woman with a baby, it doesn't even cross their minds. I'm generalizing here, of course their are exceptions, but for the most part what I have just described is the majority.
Perhaps one of the only times "who you know" can help you in Egypt is when you are in trouble. For example, if you are caught by the police for a traffic violation and are taken to jail (for a serious traffic violation of course) and happen to know the police chief, you will sit in the comfortable air conditioned office for 2 hours while they "fudge" your paperwork. At the same time you are watching DVDs in the chief's office, another man, who committed the same violation, is sitting in a wet, rat infested cell for 8 hours, simply because he doesn't know anyone at the police station. This is the part about Egypt that I can't stand, the inequality of the system.
Ok enough for now.
I'm loving every minute here and am dreading the day when I have to board the plane to come home, while I am excited to be back in my own country, there are SO many things about Egypt that I will miss. At least I know this will not be my last trip here :) (Sorry D).
Miss you soooooooooooooo much.
Bahebek,
Megan
My student's name is Mohab, he is 20 and an art student at Alexandria University, he is a sculptor. To be perfectly honest, the first 10 minutes may have been some of the most awkward of my life, it was like pulling teeth to get him to answer a question with a yes or no answer, let alone complete a sentence. He has had English classes since he was six but hasn't had any since he has been at University and thus is a bit rusty and so shy about speaking. When he finally opened his mouth and spoke more than a yes or no, I was amazed. His English was wonderful, so proper and with his lilting accent, it almost sounded like he had walked straight out of a movie.
Once I got him talking, literally I couldn't get him to shut up. I learned he LOVES Pink Floyd (hence the post title), has a girlfriend and will graduate next May. While his English is quite good, there are still a few things he needs to work on and so I spent most of the night last night, preparing a lesson to fit his needs. I can't wait until we meet today!
On another note, I have noticed that the students here are extremely accomplished. Mohab not only attends University but also play s the violin and the guitar as well as works part time in his father's company. Children here are taught from an early age that you must work yourself to death in order to succeed in this country because no one will help you get to where you want to be.
In the US we always say its not about what you know but rather who you know. This is not the case in Egypt. Everyone is self centered, they live in their own worlds, blind to the atrocities that are going on around them. If an event doesn't involve them, their family or close friends then its almost as if it doesn't exist. They would never stop and help a stranger who has fallen on the street or open the door for a woman with a baby, it doesn't even cross their minds. I'm generalizing here, of course their are exceptions, but for the most part what I have just described is the majority.
Perhaps one of the only times "who you know" can help you in Egypt is when you are in trouble. For example, if you are caught by the police for a traffic violation and are taken to jail (for a serious traffic violation of course) and happen to know the police chief, you will sit in the comfortable air conditioned office for 2 hours while they "fudge" your paperwork. At the same time you are watching DVDs in the chief's office, another man, who committed the same violation, is sitting in a wet, rat infested cell for 8 hours, simply because he doesn't know anyone at the police station. This is the part about Egypt that I can't stand, the inequality of the system.
Ok enough for now.
I'm loving every minute here and am dreading the day when I have to board the plane to come home, while I am excited to be back in my own country, there are SO many things about Egypt that I will miss. At least I know this will not be my last trip here :) (Sorry D).
Miss you soooooooooooooo much.
Bahebek,
Megan
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"Today I finally overcame, trying to fit the world inside a picture frame. Maybe I'll tell you all about it..."
Keeping in line with the song lyric post titles :)
To be honest when I first arrived in Agami I really didn't care for it at all, like all new places it takes some getting used to. I must say now I'm starting to fall in love. It has a certain charm, or rather the people have a certain charm. Like Mohammed who owns the corner convenience store, who really doesn't speak English but uses the only four words he knows everyday to greet us. Or the guys who own the fruit stand that don't speak English at all but act like our limited Arabic is the best they've ever heard and are so proud when we've learned a new word. Or our little friend Sayeed who works in the Hard Rock jewelery shop, who, after 1 day learned our names and will greet us from across the street. These people are so unlike anyone from home, they are poor and literally would give us (people they hardly know) the shirts off their backs if we needed it.
While I don't think I could live here, I would love to come back for visits, Ill miss the nearness of the Mediterranean, the smell of salt in the air, the ridiculously off key prayer call at dawn, the sweet smell of zalabia being cooked by Ahmed and the calls of friends on the street.
Surprisingly I feel safe here. Maybe its because I've accepted the change, or maybe because I've accepted that its home for these four weeks, regardless, for now Agami is my city.
Miss you guys :)
To be honest when I first arrived in Agami I really didn't care for it at all, like all new places it takes some getting used to. I must say now I'm starting to fall in love. It has a certain charm, or rather the people have a certain charm. Like Mohammed who owns the corner convenience store, who really doesn't speak English but uses the only four words he knows everyday to greet us. Or the guys who own the fruit stand that don't speak English at all but act like our limited Arabic is the best they've ever heard and are so proud when we've learned a new word. Or our little friend Sayeed who works in the Hard Rock jewelery shop, who, after 1 day learned our names and will greet us from across the street. These people are so unlike anyone from home, they are poor and literally would give us (people they hardly know) the shirts off their backs if we needed it.
While I don't think I could live here, I would love to come back for visits, Ill miss the nearness of the Mediterranean, the smell of salt in the air, the ridiculously off key prayer call at dawn, the sweet smell of zalabia being cooked by Ahmed and the calls of friends on the street.
Surprisingly I feel safe here. Maybe its because I've accepted the change, or maybe because I've accepted that its home for these four weeks, regardless, for now Agami is my city.
Miss you guys :)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night
As you can tell from the title of this post, we've decided upon a theme song for our time here. For a few reasons:
1) It's Janine's ringtone, which makes us crack up as she is our parents age and listens to more modern music than we do.
2) There are days when we hate Egypt, this song makes us think positively. We have been given an amazing opportunity to study here and although things may not be up to our standards sometimes, we need to think positively in order to get past it.
3) It reminds us of Amanda's boyfriend at the vodaphone store (that in itself is reason 3-100)
Spent a fabulous lazy day yesterday getting tan (or in my case sunburned) at the beach. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold and the water was amazing. After going home and attempting to wash the massive amounts of sad off, we attempted to do our homework. Now having been out of school for awhile now, I find it quite difficult to do homework, especially the busy work kind which is mostly what we get here. I have no desire to write a 500 word conclusion on why learning a new language is difficult, luckily I graduated from DePauw. And that my friends means I'm an excellent bullshitter, not just average, excellent. So I whipped out my dusty bullshitting skills and put them to work. Let me just say I slapped that puppy out in about15 minutes.
On a more serious note, while many of you have heard me complain about my time here at school (not mentioning any names Big D) despite the fact that it is very different than home, I really do like it. I'm learning some very interesting things, not only about teaching English, but also about life in general. Could I live here forever? HELL NO. However, I could live here for a little while. I want to make a difference, to give the children here the opportunities that I have had in the US, the freedom to leave their country if they so wish, learning English will help them acheive this.
Ok time to get off my soapbox...
Love and Miss all of you guys.
Big Bosas!
Meggie
1) It's Janine's ringtone, which makes us crack up as she is our parents age and listens to more modern music than we do.
2) There are days when we hate Egypt, this song makes us think positively. We have been given an amazing opportunity to study here and although things may not be up to our standards sometimes, we need to think positively in order to get past it.
3) It reminds us of Amanda's boyfriend at the vodaphone store (that in itself is reason 3-100)
Spent a fabulous lazy day yesterday getting tan (or in my case sunburned) at the beach. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not too cold and the water was amazing. After going home and attempting to wash the massive amounts of sad off, we attempted to do our homework. Now having been out of school for awhile now, I find it quite difficult to do homework, especially the busy work kind which is mostly what we get here. I have no desire to write a 500 word conclusion on why learning a new language is difficult, luckily I graduated from DePauw. And that my friends means I'm an excellent bullshitter, not just average, excellent. So I whipped out my dusty bullshitting skills and put them to work. Let me just say I slapped that puppy out in about15 minutes.
On a more serious note, while many of you have heard me complain about my time here at school (not mentioning any names Big D) despite the fact that it is very different than home, I really do like it. I'm learning some very interesting things, not only about teaching English, but also about life in general. Could I live here forever? HELL NO. However, I could live here for a little while. I want to make a difference, to give the children here the opportunities that I have had in the US, the freedom to leave their country if they so wish, learning English will help them acheive this.
Ok time to get off my soapbox...
Love and Miss all of you guys.
Big Bosas!
Meggie
Friday, October 2, 2009
I love posting twice in one day!
So I forgot to mention that I randomly came down with the cold from hell a few days ago and have been miserable the last two days. So...that being said, I decided to venture to the nearest pharmacy with an Arabic speaking friend (who, was actually not needed, as the pharmacist spoke English) to buy some cough syrup. Now for those of you who went to DePauw, you know that you don't go to the health center unless you're in dire need, same for the pharmacies here...where foreigners are concerned, as you never know exactly what you're going to get.
I walked out, 4 LE (Egyptian Pounds) poorer and 1 bottle of cough syrup richer. The man informed me that I should take 2 tablespoons three times a day and that it should have no adverse side effects except that it will make me sleep.
Now as I'm sitting in my room examining and (web mding) the medication, I'm beginning to doubt its effectiveness. The bottle looks like it walked straight out of 1950, glass with a gold screw on top. At this point I'm desperate, so I'll try anything.
Before the pharmacy visit, I spent a few glorious hours on, or rather in, the white sand beaches of the mediteranean. I must say there is no feeling quite like the one you get laying on the beach, knowing you have found paradise.
Enough for now loves,
Bosa
Meggie
I walked out, 4 LE (Egyptian Pounds) poorer and 1 bottle of cough syrup richer. The man informed me that I should take 2 tablespoons three times a day and that it should have no adverse side effects except that it will make me sleep.
Now as I'm sitting in my room examining and (web mding) the medication, I'm beginning to doubt its effectiveness. The bottle looks like it walked straight out of 1950, glass with a gold screw on top. At this point I'm desperate, so I'll try anything.
Before the pharmacy visit, I spent a few glorious hours on, or rather in, the white sand beaches of the mediteranean. I must say there is no feeling quite like the one you get laying on the beach, knowing you have found paradise.
Enough for now loves,
Bosa
Meggie
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