Jodi News
Teacher Jodi
| "Good morning teacher Jodi. How are you?" This is the sentence that greets me each time I enter a classroom, accompanied by about 20 very cute upturned faces and some giggling. I had my first day as an "English teacher" yesterday and I have to say that I was a little dubious whether I was going to be of much assistance at first because I mainly seemed to be observing. Thankfully however, the teachers have given me the chance to take over parts of their classes myself and I thus feel much more useful. Today the head English teacher was away so I ran ad hoc lessons in his absence, mainly comprised of "Simon says", verb games and writing down sentences using new words. I am actually enjoying it quite a lot, and feel like I can make a contribution (however small that might be). Their vocabulary is quite limited, as is their ability to form sentences so that is what I am concentrating on. I brought with me an ample supply of stickers and stamps so I've been able to bribe them quite successfully, and for those extra special occasions I have koalas! As you can imagine I am quite popular. The school itself is a good set up. The children read and write very well (particularly in Laos) and are evidently learning to speak English. I wouldn't say it compares to our own system of teaching, but then again they don't have the resources we do. One of the English teachers only has a high school education herself and learnt English from the Didi who set up the school. This might seem a bad situation, but the fact that she can impart her knowledge to the children, and help them learn a new language is a really good thing. Sure, they might not learn perfect grammar, but at least they will be able to make themselves understood, which is more than most people can do in a second language. I am mainly needed in the mornings at the school (until about 1.30pm), so I have my afternoons free to do what I wish. Yesterday I decided to go for that massage I have been promising myself for quite some time. Since I know that many of the places here provide less than traditional services I decided to check with the owner of the guesthouse before mistakenly wandering into a place where I'd be asked to choose my masseuse from behind a glass wall. As it was, the one I went to was extremely nice and I felt very comfortable placing myself in their hands- well that is until the massage started. As with Thailand, the massages here are definitely not intended to be a time of relaxation. I had to will myself not to scream out in pain at various points as she delved ever deeper into the far recesses of my muscle tissue. That said, I walked out 1 1/2 hours later feeling wholly invigorated and very, well, loose! All that for about two pounds fifty! Following my massage I headed over to the Mekong where I enjoyed a yellow curry by candle light and watched the sun set over the river. They have night markets set up along the bank, and "outside restaurants" serve up a variety of dishes. My selection is generally quite limited since I am vegetarian- but I always find something! Today for instance, I bought roasted banana from a woman sitting on the street- a treat that was both strange and delicious. My sense of culinary adventurism only stretches so far though. No rat or roasted bugs for me- regardless whether others claim they taste just fine! Nor am I tempted to try one of Lao's other main delicacies - chicken eggs with unhatched fetuses in them... hmmmmm... yes.... I think I'll pass. So I headed back to the guesthouse at dusk and settled in for what I expected to be a quiet evening. Things however, took an unexpected turn when I ran into a very interesting trucker from Germany. To be frank, I had thought that Pat was a man the first time I saw her in the guesthouse, but had become confused when I noticed what definitely looked like two breasts. I still wasn't convinced that she was a woman however, until she told me her full name was Patricia and that her nieces thought their "aunt" was crazy! Even then I had to keep reminding myself. As one would expect from a female trucker who has spent 6 years between Lao and Germany, she was an interesting character. She invited me to come out with her to some bars to watch live music and have a few drinks and I decided a night out might be just the thing I needed. It actually turned out to be an interesting evening, and I got the chance to watch my first (and perhaps last) Lao rock band. Somewhat to my surprise they were actually very good, and I even enjoyed some good solid Thai rock ballads. Having woken at 6am however, and spent all day with a lot of screaming children, the high decibels of music being pumped into my brain did nothing to help my burgeoning headache and I was ready to leave by about 11pm (everything closes by 11.30pm anyway). On the way home we stopped to eat noodle soup- which in retrospect was probably a good thing because Pat had put back quite a few beers and was in charge of the motorbike. Not surprisingly I felt pretty vulnerable as we rocketed along the dark streets of Vientiane, the smelling of beer wafting into my face as I clung (no helmet) to the back of the bike. I figured however, that as a seasoned trucker her tolerance levels were pretty high and my chances of survival were good. Mad logic I know, but you'll cling to anything when you're on the back of a speeding moped! Tonight I think I'll give the bar hopping a miss and try and finish my book. Perhaps a bit wimpy, but the early mornings mean that I am tired pretty early. Other than that, well I don't have any particular plans for the remainder of the week, aside from teaching English that is. I will however head North on Saturday morning to Vang Vien, which is supposed to be a very pretty town (though a little touristy). So that's about it for now. I am really enjoying Lao and would recommend you all to come a visit at some stage. The people are friendly, the food is good (exempting the eggs), it's ridiculously inexpensive and it's pretty! What more could you ask for? Not much... |
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Nov 30, 1999