The blind leading the mute

For the past month or so, people have been asking me about my upcoming position as an English teacher. All I knew at that point was that they started sometime in September and that someone would be getting in touch with me (or so I hoped). Finally, I got a text message last week about coming in, but there was a holiday so it was postponed until today. So this morning I got ready, gathered a couple of things and headed out on my bike to the school. On the way, I realized that it was kind of my first day at my new job which felt kind of odd, but kind of exciting.

When I arrived I saw the teacher that I was supposed to meet with and she asked me to have a set and went over a few minor details with me. It was then that I realized a couple of things: one, I was teaching double the amount of classes that I thought I was responsible for. Two, I was not team teaching with any specific English teacher, but was teaching class all of my own. Therefore, I am not confined to either a grade or a level. I have them all. I will be teaching 9 different sets of students and only one set will be more than one time a week. The level range from hello my name is... to those taking a language exam, in which you most be proficient in the language

This, however, was just the beginning of things in which i was not aware. School does not start sometime in September but the first of September, as in next week. I was just given 2 of the 4 books out of which the grammar teacher will teach, I just have to base lessons off of that. Suddenly, i was aware of exactly how much i did not know. I don't know the exact day school starts, where classrooms are, what school policies are, what the dress code is, what the disciplinary process is, and many other such details. I know there is a saying, the blind leading the blind, but i realized this doesn't really apply, b/c the students know all these things they are not blind, they just can't communicate them to me because we speak different languages. what a pair we will make come next week.

out for a stroll

Even though it i just the beginning of August, it has the end of the summer feel to me. We put 2 of our interns on a plane on Thursday and the third one on a train on Sunday. Ap, my co-worker, took a quick vacation, and my boss and his wife went to Africa leaving me in the city all alone for the first time in quite a few months. It was good to finally go to church sunday morning, and worship together with my church family here. then i did something that i have never done before, i went to the movies alone. i took myself out for chineese food and then a matenee. It was air conditioned and funny enough i felt quite empowered that i strangly did not feel awkard. This week i have slept in, checked email, and read a book.

I am waiting for a call from the school that i will be working at, inorder to schedule for September. I also am about to begin planning for the fall and what direction our student ministry will take. Other than that i am just trying to get back in contact with students after summer holidays and some sort of a schedule. On an interresting note, i went for a walk today and saw something sadly unusual on the tram. See i like to think that i can spot ticket checkers as they get on the tram. this is no problem for me since ihave a monthly pass but it is just a funny observation game that i like to play. well this one guy was getting on and i thought maybe this is one, but.... no i don't think so. just then he looks at me, and comes and sits in front of me, pulls out, not a badge, but an old book. Next he opens it and begins reading. I thought surly not, can it be, is he reading what i think he is reading, and it was. He was reading the book of John. The next stop was mine, but i got off in the rain grinning because truly only God knows the heart of man.