Teaching

We were slightly nervous on Monday morning as it was the start of our first real teaching week. We would be trailing two teachers, Miss Reen and Miss Sham around their classes to learn the ropes before starting for real. It soon became apparent however that there was nothing to be nervous about.

the kids here are incredible, we are treated as though we are One Direction. They always say hello, shake our hands, ask for pictures, we have even been signing shirts and footballs. The classes we visited turned into massive scrambles to see how could ask the the Mat Salleh the most questions in half and hour. We still haven't grasped how valuable the skill we have, that we take for granted is. To these kids, English is their favourite subject and they view it as a gateway to a successful life. They all have a desire to learn English, so to have a native speaker to practice on is just unbelievable. To be able to give them that, to see what it means is very humbling. They think we are incredibly talented, but we haven't had to work at this at all, its just something we have. To be able to give these kids something so important and to see what it means to them is why I did Project Trust.

During the week we did many classes, including some larger group classes where we played giant scrabble, pictionary and 20 questions. A full scale war nearly broke out between the boys and the girls (they are all extremely competitive). James and I intervened we were strong and determined, sort of.  My first teaching experience has been a real eye opener, that in a country as developed as Malaysia is, all the kids still long to learn English, as it viewed as the gateway to the western world.

On top of our regular teaching hours, we have taking up extra responsibilities. we are now drilling a select group of students for the national spelling bee. Its incredible, the winner receives RM10000 (about 2000 pounds). Id have entered a spelling bee if the prize was 2000 pounds. The standard of words however is insane, i cant even pronounce some let alone spell them. One of my students, Fauzi can never get a moments peace with me, as his friends insist on turning up to our tuition and asking me loads of questions (mostly if i have a girlfriend, and then don't believe that the answer is no).

Apart from school, this week was the celebration of Hari Raya which marks one month from the end of Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan and then celebrate for one month afterwards. I have never eaten so much food in my life, I thought I was going to explode. I could effectively see my waistline expanding before my eyes. As we were the Mat Salleh we had to try every dish, and had to like it. We went to two different celebrations that day, and this was when we first tried Durian, the king of fruits. Imagine garlic mixed with old socks, that is the smell and taste of Durian. James was almost sick, how I kept a straight face I have no idea as this is the ultimate Malay delicacy.

On Saturday we were invited to our first Malay wedding, the daughter of one of our fellow teachers. We felt it would be a formal occasion, so we arrived in shirt and tie. When we realised all the other men were in t-shirt and jeans, we regretted our decision. At Malay wedding you arrive, shake hands, eat food (of course) and leave. The number of colours, the attention to detail, the decorations were all exquisite. On the way home from the wedding, we had asked to go to the local pet store, just to look. We came out with 3 baby turtles. Neo, Hermionie and Kopi are now part of our household, they are so cute.

As the next week begins we are now being put in charge of our own individual classes, practising conversational English in the form of games and activities. Although I am slightly nervous, i know that these amazing kids with be so enthusiastic I will not worry one bit.