Flying Nuns and funny languages :)

Finally it is the weekend!! I am so happy to finally relax after a hectic week of teaching. It was a very tough week for both me and the students. Shame, they had to write a quiz that tested them from Unit1 to Unit 5 and most of them had a reality check that English isn't easy....even when speaking is multiple choice. 

However, most of my students are such strong individuals, they suck it up and didn't cry and said to me "Teacher, I will try harder in my next exam." Now that is what I call absolute dedication towards studying and learning. I love this new batch of students. They don't ask me weird questions like "teeeecccheer, why 8, why no 10?" or "teeaacccheer me good ?" No, they take initiative, they sort themselves out. They enjoy doing difficult exercises and enjoy the challenges of English. They have dreams of becoming strong independent ladies that want to see their strengths and work on their weaknesses. Everyday when I go to class, they are ready before 8 o 'clock and have their books open. This is what I live for. I teach wonderful people. People that take the world in their hands. They NEVER complain and always find solutions for any problem in class. They told me that they really struggle with listening to English and answering the questions correctly. They asked me to have a quiz of listening every day to improve their hearing of English. Now, isn't that mature?? I think that is mature and very responsible. Bravo group 3 and 4!!

Now, as for the week itself it was somewhat funny. First of all, there are many characters at the compound that I stay in. The first character I will call "the Flying Nun". No, I am not being ambiguous or a tad pretentious of this title. If you see this character, then you would understand. She refuses to wear the abaya, claiming that "it is too hot and she suffocates". However, HER version of the abaya looks more claustrophobic than the normal one. To top it all of, she wears it with this black cape that makes her look like the head of the Harry Potter Wizardry. To make the picture more real to you, she wears a white scarf underneath her black scarf, therefore looking like a nun. All she needs is a broom stick and off she flies to school.

Before I came to Saudi, I knew some information about the laws and regulations and I was cool with that. I even went online, like "google" to find out what I needed to be more prepared and to have a comfortable life as a foreign woman in Saudi. It is not that difficult. It says that one should wear the abaya and the scarf. If you find yourself in more conservative areas then you should just wear the niqab. You don't have to be a genius to get it all together. However, for the record, teachers still come to Saudi in strange outfits and "abayas" and wonder why the mattawa (religious police) hunts them down. They persist to disobey the law and wonder why the Saudi locals give them stares and glares. What is so hard? Get a black abaya and scarf, that's it!

For me, I just chuckle by myself and find the humor in it all. I mean, Jouf is not the most exciting town, so if  anyone can make it more humorous, I am cool with it....10 points mate.

However, jokes a side. I think wherever you travel you need to know and understand the rules/ practices of the country in order not to offend or to get your ass deported. Just google-it!!

Secondly, the funniest thing that happened this week. So, I am sitting in a villa that gracefully displayed the different continents and pictures of different countries and also the flag. I was pretty impressed, thinking "wow, these dudes have done their home work. They even have the flag in their house, mashallah". However, the climax crashed down when one of the house mates said "No one must speak Islam."  Speak Islam????

Please can someone refer a language on Google to me,  that says "learn to speak Islam in 3 months", because I would love to do a crash course in it. I mean I am Muslim and my religion is Islam, but I have never heard of the language being called Islam. I will be kind and assume that he meant "Arabic". Bravo Mate!!! Once again, just google-it!!

Don't ask me where we get the teachers, I don't know. Because I think that there must have been something I said or did in my interview that landed me in Jouf. I can see why the others landed here! Flying nuns and people that speak Islam.However, what did I say and do in my interview where my boss said "ok Zim, you should go to Jouf??" What was my joke? I think I smiled too much and I was just too friendly and he thought "let her be in there, she is a  push over". Whatever it is, I can't complain about it. I am here and trying to make the best of what I have. 

I know that Jouf is not an endless pit of nothing, or an escape to nowhere. It is a place to find peace, even though peace keeps playing hide-and-seek all the time. :)