My job

After 6 months of being here, I think I can finally say what I'm (supposed to be) doing - to a certain extent…

Get ready for the mass of acronyms!

My role appears to change on a daily basis but I was employed by VSO (www.vso.org.uk) as an MRA - methodology and resources advisor.  In short, I mentor and train teacher-trainers in the use of LCM (Learner centred methods) and how to make and use teaching resources out of locally-resourced-materials.  I am based in the TRC (Teaching Resource Centre) and it is my role to ensure that it is an established centre for learning not only for the student teachers but also the tutors (teacher-trainers).  This means that it has to be fully stocked and managed and that the TRC curriculum is taught.

It sounds easy enough but getting tutors (who have often taught for MANY years - some more than me) to move from what they know as 'teaching', (and have themselves been taught using these methods) to something apparently completely and radically different is NOT easy.  The system here has been very much 'chalk and talk' - teachers lecture, they write on the chalkboard - learners copy; teachers recite 'facts' - learners repeat/chant back…it's what we know as rote-learning, it's all rather prescribed and spoon-fed.  So the idea is that I move teaching from TLM (teacher led methods) to LCM. 

Here are some of the barriers:

The language of instruction is English and often the tutor's English is barely any better than their students.  It's not their fault - English was only introduced as the medium to teach in in 2009 and it was a change that happened overnight.  One day the students were being taught in Kinyarwanda and French, the next everything was in English.  People are BRIGHT here, there is so much potential but because they are being taught in English, learning is severely hindered.

Practical exercises/experiments do not often take place because resources/equipment just aren't available - they are too costly.  Imagine learning to paint without having paints?  Or even teaching how to paint when you've never painted before?  Yes, that's happening here.  All lessons are theoretical.  There aren't enough books for EVERY learner to use, there aren't enough computers (we have 8 - supposedly…but they don't always work at once - for 800 students!?!), Internet connectivity is bad and electricity supplies are unreliable.  So my role isn't as simple as putting together an interactive flip chart - as much as I loathed the interactive whiteboard, boy do I miss it now!  I cannot go out and buy a mass of resources - even if I'm ABLE that's just not sustainable in the long run, I can't just whack out the plastic every time there is a need for something.  (It doesn't give out the right message nor is it good for my pocket either…)

I do sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud.  I'm training and supporting teachers who are TRAINED and EXPERIENCED - who am I to try to change practice?  Tutors tell me that they enjoy my model lessons and feel inspired by them but find it difficult to do it themselves.  I've observed tutors trying to BE me in their lessons - and that's NOT what I want.  There's a fear of thinking and stepping outside of the box; guidelines restrict, they are not considered to be lines that guide but rather a frame to work within and never to venture out of.  Things/concepts that I considered to be common practice/sense in the teaching world are evidently not here, they're just foreign - a bit like me.  

Today I observed another volunteer give a workshop.  He started with this phrase, 'Teaching as you know it is not teaching, teachers today are not teachers but are facilitators of learning.'  I wasn't particularly keen on this phrase but maybe there is some truth in it.  Maybe that's simply what my role is - a facilitator of learning.  My (or VSO's) way is NOT the be-it-and-end-all, I do not know best, I am not always right (even if I like to think I am!)…but my experience tells me that something has to change here and it starts with an attitude, the desire to change.  I'm thankful that most of the tutors I work with can see the need to change practice and are willing to be advised by me, for those who cannot - well, I let them be.

Learning - no compromise?

I'm not sure if I've blogged about this before - so if I have, I apologise in advance.

Before coming to Rwanda, I had two pre-departure trainings in Birmingham to prep me for life in another culture.  I remember asking the question - How much should you compromise in order to respect culture?  My question was not answered.

I've battled with this question for a long time.  I came to Africa believing that everyone was out to cheat  me - or would try to get what they could from me.  Without meaning to sound egotistical or even naive, it was more on the topic of 'paying' to get MY way - e.g. underhand payments to cross borders/receive mail etc.  I wondered whether or not I would compromise my moral/religious beliefs in order to get somewhere more easily/hassle-free.  I haven't faced this situation yet and I hope that if/when the time comes, I'll make the 'right' choice (if there is one?!)

However, what I have experienced is this:

Sitting in a bar with local friends.
"May, why are you drinking Fanta? Are you sick?"
- 'No, I just don't want to drink tonight.'
"Why?  Are you sick?  You can take one small Mutzig."
- 'No thank you, I'm not sick, I just don't want to drink alcohol tonight.'
"But you can take one small Mutzig.  It is our culture to drink together."
- 'I understand that and I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but I've had enough to drink thank you and I don't need another drink.'
"But you can take…"
- 'No, in MY culture, when someone says NO, it means no and that should be respected too.'
(5 minutes later, a bottle of Mutzig appears in front of me.)

A petty argument, I know.  It would be easier for me to give in and take the Mutzig (One of the two locally brewed beers in Rwanda - the other being Primus.)  I know I'm being 'rude' by declining a beer but I'm either content with my fizzy drink (fanta) or I just don't NEED another drink.  Countless times I've explained the waste not only in money but of the actual drink if one was to be opened and placed in front of me.  I simply would not drink it - by this stage, just to make/prove a point - yes, STUBBORN  (I wonder where I get that from?!?)

I also find myself arguing over pennies here in Rwanda simply because I know I'm being ripped-off.  When I get on a moto/go to the market, I immediately enter into a bargaining match with the driver/seller over a couple of hundred francs.  One-hundred francs is the equivalent of just under 10p - and yet I argue because I KNOW that they are trying to overcharge me.  It's not so much that I can't afford the price they're quoting (although in some cases, I can't) but the fact that they see a 'muzungu'/'white-person' (yes, I'm considered 'white' here!) and so they pull a random (high) figure out in the air and try it on.  I've always loathed bartering anyway - I was never any good at it even when I lived in Hong Kong.  You'd think being Chinese that it was in my blood to haggle, but I just cannot do it!  So, quite often, despite my insides screaming that I'm being ripped-off, I sometimes keel in and give the extra 20p being asked for.  When I say it like that, I realise how insignificant the amount is and wonder what I'm battling with, after all, surely they need it more than I do?  But if I give in, the perception becomes set that it's ok to rip people off.  Maybe this isn't so much of a moral battle, in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter, that's just business sense right? - inflating prices to make the most gain?  Retailers/restaurants do it all over the world, but are they targeting people because of the colour of their skin?  (I know it happens in other countries too - that's tourism for you!)

________________

My final battle is one where my conscience is yet to be appeased:

In a restaurant recently, I asked for a drink and it came promptly, I was surprised by the size of it.  When the bill arrived, I was charged for a double drink.  In fairness, my drink WAS a double but the menu price did not say that it was for a single measure.  (In another restaurant previously, all servings were double and charged at the price quoted on the menu.)  BUT I also did not order a double (knowingly.)  The waiter responded, "I gave you a double so you must pay double."

In bringing this up with management, I was given the response, 'no matter, you don't pay, the waiter pays for his mistake.' - I know full well that the waiter will NOT be able to pay for it - or at least will be paying for it for the next month out of his salary so I was somewhat stuck because I was ABLE to pay for it, but wasn't willing to do so because (a) I felt like I was being emotionally blackmailed and (b) I ordered a drink that I was quoted at 4000f (£4) on the menu and NOT 8000Rwf (£8)!  So I am sad to say that I paid my 4000Rwf only.

However any remorse that I felt soon left me when I heard the waiter say to another waiter in Kinyarwanda, "this is not England."  Actually, he took the biscuit when he said to management that the 'muzungu has a problem' (in Kinyarwanda) - to which I retorted, "I am not a muzungu" and his response (in Kinyarwanda not to me but to the manager and other staff) was, "no, I see you're not muzungu, you are Korean." - that's when I blew a gasket!  It's not that he called me a muzungu or Korean but simply that he appeared to be mocking me when HE had made the mistake.  He spoke English, he took my order in English so why not say that sentence TO ME in English instead of directed to the staff.  (Maybe that was MY inference/perception of the situation and he did not mean to offend?!)  Still, evidently my Kinyarwanda isn't as bad as I think it is to understand what he was saying!  But I digress…going back to the situation - should I have paid the full amount?  I consumed a double (unknowingly) under the impression that I had ordered something from the menu that cost 4000Rwf.  In my mind, I compared this to a similar situation which occurred with another volunteer who ordered a soup and because the waiter decided to give her a double portion in one bowl, he then charged her for 2 soups! - Surely this is not right?  The customer did not ASK for 2 portions, and without knowing the portion size beforehand, how can they know they are receiving 2?

I'm still learning when to compromise.
I'm still learning to choose the right battles to fight.
I'm still learning to give up my pride.
I'm still learning...

2-0-1-4 so far...

The school year started with a move of the TRC (Teacher Resource Centre) to the physics lab…and then EIGHT-THOUSAND books were sent by KIE (Kigali Institute of Education) for use in Primary schools…and I had to sort through them ALL!

The books were donated by a USA-charity (I think) as they're all in American English and the guided reading books are on American historians/inventors/sports/geography - completely relevant and appropriate for primary children here of course!  

This is my first workshop for the tutors at the TTC (Teacher-training college).  The tutors teach/train secondary school students and those also training to be primary school teachers.  Here I'm teaching them how resources (flashcards) should be interactive and get students moving and actively participating rather than simply repeating/chanting/copying what is on the board.

This is Saundo.  She has appeared in my earlier blog posts.

Here I am delivering my second workshop - thought I'd do some promotion for VSO too - I don't usually wear a 'uniform.'  (Actually, when I teach the student-teachers I have to wear a white lab coat - I now know that rather than making tutors distinguishable, it is more to protect your clothes from the chalk dust!)

Another workshop on nursery rhymes and teaching songs has been requested too by the tutors - so would appreciate any CDs/books of nursery rhymes sent out please (even the Jolly Phonics songs would be appreciated!)

I attended my SECOND wedding since being here.  This is the Dean of Discipline, Ignace and his beautiful bride, Caritas at the Sector office.  (Legal registering)

We then moved onto the bride's family home where the dowry-ceremony took place.  This is Orlane, she is my principal's youngest daughter.

…and this is JACKO, my new housemate, although he will soon be moving out to his new home.  (Sad times! - considering how apprehensive I was to begin with about someone else moving in with me, I'll be sad to see him go - but he will only be a 5 minutes walk away and I'll see him everyday at school!  It'll be ok.)

This is the final part of the wedding and the TTC staff members (well, some of them…) - I got prime position in the photo :)  Imagine, this photo was taken by the professional photographer...

And this was the bus that I made - only someone drew on it before I had a chance to :(  I'll have to make my improvements somehow...

Internet connection has been really poor here so haven't been able to update anything but in all fairness, after FIVE (and a half) MONTHS of living here, life is becoming pretty routine.  Power cuts and water shortages are more frequent and the rainy season has kicked in.  The irony of having no running water in the village but torrential rains everyday has gone beyond comical - still, there's always the ability to harvest rainwater, just got to let my night guard and helper know that when I leave buckets outside, it's intentional.  I have woken in the morning to find my buckets inside and empty :(

So this is life in Africa.

The Culture of Me

Before I begin this post - I just want to say, this is NOT a rant - or at least it's not my intention…BUT…

:)

I've started feeling the cultural clashes of late…

I have always grown up contending with different cultures - being a British-born-Chinese (BBC) it wasn't always easy to maintain a balance between the two, I do not (think I) lean to any one culture more but know that they are both part of me.  Throw into the mix being Christian and that certainly spices up the cultural battles.  Yet there are things that I guess I have taken for granted as being 'the norm' or simply being courteous - but that's just not the case across the world…so I have found...

I come from a culture of, ‘you do not give to receive’ yet what happens when you keep giving till you are empty?  What happens when the request, ‘give me…’ just wears thin and you find yourself snapping at the next poor and apparently innocent soul who asks you to ‘give me money?’  (My favourite retort at present is - 'no, you give ME money' - people don't quite know how to respond to that one!) 

Interestingly, there is no word for ‘please’ in Kinyarwanda – everything is, ‘ndashaka…’ – ‘I want…’  Again, I was always taught that ‘I want’ will not get me anywhere, it’s simply impolite.  But would it matter if those who always said, ‘give me…’ or 'I want...' ended with please?  Would it make the request any better?  'Give me money please,' 'I want your number please.' - no, they still send chills down my spine.

I had actually crafted this blog entry a few weeks ago when I had returned from my workshop feeling frustrated by the seeming lack of manners of my participants - upon re-reading, the entry came across as a rant but then at the crux of it, I found myself questioning whether I had finally hit the stumbling block of cultural difference.  Were my frustrations actually unreasonable because the values that we've been raised upon, the culture that we (my Rwandan neighbours and I) have grown up living and breathing are in fact, worlds apart?

The culture that I grew up in taught me a definition of being polite - do not EXPECT to be given anything but be appreciative and show appreciation for when you receive something; saying 'please' and 'thank you' is just common courtesy; serve others before yourself; respect and value your elders/people in authority (be they your teacher or parents' friends) and tidy up after yourself.  But I am not sure this is as universally recognised as I'd once thought...  

When I give workshops, VSO provide participants with a 'Fanta' (any fizzy drink is called 'Fanta' here - be it coke, sprite or indeed fanta…)  At the end of my workshop, participants were quick to take their Fanta with some taking TWO before others had even taken one.  When asked to help to serve the drinks, I received the remark, 'it is not my place to serve' - shocked by the audacity of such a comment I was unable to respond.  However, upon hearing this remark two other participants got up and began handing out drinks and opening them for their colleagues.  Was it their place to serve or were they taught to do so as I was too?

The aftermath of my workshop was somewhat shocking, participants had left the room with paper, straws, bottle tops and other rubbish littered all around - I was thankful for the same two participants who'd served the drinks who stayed behind to help clear up.  (Interestingly both were male - in my mind, culturally, I'd expected the females to be the ones helping to clear up?!?)  The two men had restored my faith that common decency/courtesy does exist here but sadly, it is not a culture that is nurtured/taught - so could/should I be frustrated by what had happened? 

My other non-rant is how I am talked about here despite being in the presence of the people who are speaking about me.  Today I had lunch at the priest's house with the other clergy members and my new housemate and fellow VSO-volunteer, Jacko.  Yesterday we went for a walk with a couple of local friends to the top of one of the nearby mountains.  One of the clergy asked Jacko, the other volunteer, 'and this one, did she make it up there?  Is she strong enough?'  

HELLO?!?  I'M SITTING RIGHT HERE!?!

Another comment, 'and how about this one, can she cook?'

THIS ONE?  THIS ONE?  WHAT AM I?!?!

Is it because I is a woman?  (Think Ali-G…)  Nope, it's because people don't direct questions to you if they have just met you and there is another 'known' person present.  But even so, if those comments/questions had been said TO me, surely they are somewhat offensive?!?

Ok, non-rant over.  I leave you with these two picture that will always make me happy and remind me of the beauty that surrounds me…