Mo' Studnets, Mo' Problems

So I have moved to Jeddah from Riyadh and it's been about a little over a month. Jeddah is much nicer then Riyadh, a little more relaxed, great weather, nice restaurants, the sea, all good. Of course moving to a new city meant moving to a new school. I went from the Preparatory Year at one of the Kingdom's top universities to a recently created public-private technical college. The college was created like most things with the best of intentions; to give middle and lower class Saudis the chance to learn a trade that could provide them gainful employment in the petro-chemical or construction industry. All to the good. Being the optimistic type that I am I assumed these young Saudi men would relish the chance to study hard and get themselves a good job. Not only is the college free they are all paid a stipend to attend this institution of higher learning.

Unfortunately, I have been rather disappointed with the quality of the students. I was lucky enough to be given the evening shift working from 3-10 each evening. All the students that study in the evening have something in common, they all failed their courses in the first semester, they are the repeaters. They get to take the first three levels of English a second time. You might imagine that doing the EXACT same course with the EXACT same books would be fairly easy. This is what I imagined unfortunately, I was mistaken the language remains indecipherable to this crack group of young minds. Now some of the problem may lie in the fact that while I have 28 students on my roster I have never seen more than 22 at any one time and that was on an exam day. I have an overall attendance rate in my class of around 24%, this makes learning the language rather difficult as, if one is not in the classroom one has difficulty doing the required work. And those that do deign to come for one or two hours a day they are a true cast of characters. One of my favourites is a rather large young Saudi with a big ol' Afro, he like to wear his sunglasses during the lesson and forgetting his book in the car is also one of his favourite activities. Last week he came to the third period (he missed the first two because he was busy), and he complained that he didn't understand the exercise, I tried to explain that we had gone through the explanations over the first two hours that he had missed. This really flummoxed him and he showed such great resolve that when his phone rang he decided it was a good time to answer the phone and carry on a short conversation. The tenacity of my group is impressive. Another gem that decides to come occasionally also enjoys wearing his sunglasses at night, and believes that the answers to all his English problems can be found in his Blackberry. The look of shock on his face when he hears that he has failed every single quiz and exam is quite priceless, and the sincerity in his voice when he asks me to maybe help him, aka give him extra marks, is rather stunning. In this group clods, dolts, and malcontents there are some really good kids who do try their best and it seems to me language just isn't there thing. I have 1 student out of 28 passing the course but who knows maybe for the rest the third time will be the charm. 

It's the 1920s

Outside of being known for Islam and oil the one other thing people know Saudi Arabia for is the prohibition of alcohol.  In Islam alcohol is haraam and Saudi Arabia styles itself as the defender of the faith so while most Muslim countries permit drinking and leave it to the individual to decide whether or not to sin, in the Kingdom it is officially outlawed. It is an extremely strange sensation, especially after Ukraine, to live in a place with no beer, wine, or spirits. It is only so weird because the locals don't realize how strange it is and it's easy to understand why they don't notice the lack of alcohol.  There are no commercials advertising beer, none of the local soccer clubs are sponsored by a brewery, celebrations aren't marked by the clinking of champagne glasses. So the only people to worry about the lack of alcohol are the expats and where there is demand supply will eventually surface.

Last week I went to my first speakeasy, it was nothing like those seen in the movies.  It was on a foreign compound (I will talk about compounds later) in their restaurant.  This restaurant was simply sad. Ostensibly an Indian restaurant it looked like it hadn't been renovated in about 30 years and the formal attire of the waiters, bow ties and dinner jackets, did not quite mesh. I went with a friend to this little oasis in our dry country and besides there was one other couple eating dessert. We would not be deterred my friend was rather anxious to have a beverage. In this nearly empty, dirty, little restaurant we had to maintain the air of secrecy; asking the waiter for two 'special cokes' he nodded and eventually returned with two red wines not in glasses but in coffee mugs so that no one else could see what we were drinking.  It was fairly surreal and rather disappointing I had been expecting a more festive atmosphere, more people, more talking, but instead we found a refuge for people desperate for a drink. In the end I didn't even drink my drink giving it to my friend instead. I was told I didn't miss much in all likely this vintage of wine was probably just boxed grape juice allowed to ferment in a bucket or something.

As there is little to do here people love to gossip and the current rumour is that some of the teachers are developing their own stills at home. With all their free time and their extra cash some are taking it fairly seriously adding flavourings and triple distilling. Brewing and distilling are a little cottage industry spurred by boredom and I think the natural inclination of people doing things they have been told not to do. Like I said previously it's strange to not have alcohol constantly being shoved down your throat by advertisers and friends alike I can't say I am in favour of prohibition but I can't say I'm completely against either.

Not all the Saudis fault

Suffice it to say the past 8 weeks here in Riyadh have not been ideal. I was fully aware of some of the difficulties to be expected and in those things I have generally managed alright.  I knew there was no alcohol in the Kingdom and I was worried a little bit about this as 4 years in Ukraine had led to a certain level of imbibing which was probably a little unhealthy but since I've arrived here no real desire for a drink. I think it's because we aren't inundated with ads everywhere and it isn't in any of the shops and there are no bars it's completely out of sight out of mind. Women was another area where I knew the situation beforehand and it hasn't been a problem st least so far I guess we are only 8 weeks in I suppose it could be a different story after 18 weeks.  With regards to females it's not the amorous part I am missing it's the little conversations with random women. There are no waitresses acting a little flirty trying to get a tip, no lady asking for directions, no idle chatter in the supermarket.  Bacon has been replaced by Fakon (Bacon made from beef, no it is not the same I try to avoid it at all costs).  So these potential trouble spots have been fairly easily managed; it's not a perfect situation but I can do without those things. Even my students have been better than I expected, I mean they are pretty horrible students, but they are good kids.  One student an 18 year old young man has yet to bring a pen or paper to a lesson yet but for the past two weeks he has managed to bring his textbooks, baby steps, we are taking baby steps. Despite this, he makes me laugh with his ridiculous comments so the classroom is generally not the war zone I had been expecting.

The majority of my frustration is borne from my fellow teachers. One thing I had been really looking forward to was being surrounded by a collection of like-minded professionals and in this I have been let down.  Working in Odessa 99% of the native speaking English teachers were great to talk to there just wasn't that many of them. When I did my teacher training my fellow trainees were one of the best groups of people I had ever had the chance to work with.  I assumed coming here with 200 other teachers that the workplace environment and corresponding social life would be fantastic and it hasn't been. There are some teachers who have entered the profession late in life and are working here only as a means to pad their retirement a sentiment I can appreciate but this group tend to be some of the most negative soul-sucking complainers I have ever come across, the literally suck the joy out of everything they come near. A great part of this job for me, probably the best part, is the travelling and meeting new people and getting to know a new culture. However, a large segment of the teachers here seem to despise all the people and places they have taught in. Lunchtime conversations inevitably turn to how awful the Koreans, Chinese, Thais, Saudis, or whoever are. I do enjoy picking apart the idiosyncrasies of different locales but the bitterness expressed by some stuns me - why are you teaching? The money is not that good in this profession, go home get a real job.

Of course I am generalizing there are a number of really good teachers here who I enjoy hanging out with and who have not been beaten down by their chosen profession.  Anyways I am sure I will find my niche and all will be well once I settle in a little bit more.

Sometimes I feel like a woman

Riyadh is not known for its social life even within Saudi Arabia it is infamous for its conservatism and lack of extracurricular activities.  The locals say its because the imams (religious leaders) hold sway here and that free time is better spent studying the Koran than out doing something which may lead to something unIslamic.  There are no cinemas here or theaters, music in public is not condoned, of course there are no pubs or bars to be found as alcohol is a no-no.  Shisha, or water-pipe, is not permitted in Riyadh though other cities allow it.  There are coffee shops which serve as something reminiscent of a pub as the locals gather round to watch soccer on big screens while they sip tea and coffee. Apparently there are bowling alleys and pool halls though I have yet to spot either in my time here.  All in all it is pretty slim pickings for evenings and weekends except one activity that all people can partake in...shopping!
There are more malls here than in any other place I have been there are two very large malls within 100 meters of one another with a third smaller one just across the road.  They are open late and they are generally packed with people of all ages.  So far I have been here 7 weeks and every single weekend I have gone to one shopping center or another.  I have fallen under the advertisers spell as I continue to convince myself that I need new things, must have something new.  Mostly this desire comes out of my sheer boredom; going to the mall is an easy way to kill 2 or 3 hours but going without buying something seems like a waste of time so I continue to get things I don't really need. For the first time in quite awhile I have a bit of disposable income and I can afford to waste a bit of cash on the unnecessary things in life but it does rather defeat the purpose of coming here to save money.
I blame it on the rather shrewd Saudi government they have created the world's first economy centered on boredom.  They attract foreigners with promises of high-paying jobs tax-free and then they remove all the elements of fun thus leading those foreigners to go shopping spending their hard earned money back into the local market it's brilliant.

Only 316 Days Left!

So this is the third attempt I have made at maintaining a blog supposedly it's the charm.  What I really think will help me maintain this blog will be the fact I am in Saudi Arabia and the social life is less than bustling.  It's been 7 weeks and so far I have been out on the weekend twice...to the same place...to drink tea.  Not quite the city that never sleeps.
I am an English teacher which generally gives me the opportunity to meet and interact with lots of individuals and hear their stories and Riyadh has been no different. I teach university students and the difference between my expectations, the administration's warnings and the reality of what these kids are thinking and saying has been huge.  Of course we think of the Kingdom as a supremely conservative place and officially it is no alcohol, no women uncovered, everything closed for prayer, and of course the worst part of it all NO BACON! The management at the university warned us not to speak about religion, politics, or the opposite sex with these impressionable youths.  And what do these young want to discuss - religion, politics, women, and of course alcohol. It could be a long year.