Well,
yesterday was our last day teaching in the village, so we tried to make the best of it and wrap up everything we taught. The older guys ended up with nice-looking resumes and a plan to achieve their career goals. The kids hopefully learned how to pronounce the English sounds that are so foreign to them. And hopefully, the more advanced students also learned how to conjugate regular verbs. I think the teacher went over the material and asked if they understood it, and they said Yes a long time ago. But no one ever made them write anything down, so there was no application.
And, we made some good friends and will be able to stay in touch via email. Our interpreter hung out with us today for our touristy things, and we had a blast. We visited the National Museum of Afghanistan, the one the Taliban destroyed, then went to Shah M. Books, the bookstore made famous by the book "The Bookseller of Kabul" and talked briefly to Mr. Bookseller and bought a few books there. Incredible selection, equally high prices. Then we hung out at Kabul Cafe and had "real" American food (hamburgers). After that, we spent a few hours on Chicken and Flower Streets haggling with the vendors. Dave got some pretty cool stuff. I was focused on a Karzai-type hat and Afghani CDs and DVDs to practice my Dari.
All in all, it was a perfect way to enjoy some of the city that we have become so enamored with. Our first day we were able to go by the ruins of the Darulaman palace, go by Olympic stadium, and visit the Babur Gardens. So, we saw many of the things we've read and heard about. I was pretty excited to meet the Bookseller himself.
As many of you know, I'll be back here yek ruz (one day). There's lots to think about before that jump, but I know that I would like to work here full-time. For now, I'm happy that I had the opportunity to teach children who can definitely use it, meet some awesome people, see what it's like to live in an underdeveloped country, and see how much work there is yet to be done. It's incredibly encouraging to be around people who have given their lives to work here. And I'm happy that they helped show me the ropes.
Thanks to everyone who had a hand in getting me here. I am indebted to you all.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
One more day teaching
Well, we've only got one more day in the school, and there is still much to be done. Dave has been working hard on getting a career plan and a resume together for the older guys so they can apply to college and find work here within the next year. It has taken much longer than anticipated to organize these because there has been very little practical training on computer skills. There was no syllabus for this class, so no one knows what they should be learning or if they learned it. I'm not a huge fan of structure, but I know that 18-year-old guys need some direction when it comes to learning how to use Word and Excel.
The beauty of it is how eager they are to succeed and learn while we are there. They've made good strides in typing, and hopefully they will be able to continue practicing with the software we brought. They just need a teacher to push them further. And the English classes go by so quickly because there is much to cover. I want them to be able to make the right sounds and distinguish between what they normally say and what sounds correct to a native English speaker. We also worked on conjugating verbs in the more advanced class.
On the non-work side of things, I was able to meet up with a couple from my home town last night and hear about their work here in Kabul. It was very refreshing to here about my old friends from Collierville and connect so easily to a great family. And they are doing some powerful work here, so I was proud of them for that.
We are continuing to become closer friends with the teachers and interpreters we work with. They are a fun group of guys to hang out with and learn from. Even though tomorrow is our last day of teaching, I'm hoping that we can spend some time with them on Thursday, the day we set aside to spend around town and seeing some cool things and places. Today, we took lots of pictures, so we can get those circulated once we get home. Don't be surprised if you see an Afghan guy wearing an Alabama hat by the way. Roll Tide!!
Well, it's time for us to get some sleep and be ready for a busy day. I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Can't wait to see you all again.
Khoda Hafez!
The beauty of it is how eager they are to succeed and learn while we are there. They've made good strides in typing, and hopefully they will be able to continue practicing with the software we brought. They just need a teacher to push them further. And the English classes go by so quickly because there is much to cover. I want them to be able to make the right sounds and distinguish between what they normally say and what sounds correct to a native English speaker. We also worked on conjugating verbs in the more advanced class.
On the non-work side of things, I was able to meet up with a couple from my home town last night and hear about their work here in Kabul. It was very refreshing to here about my old friends from Collierville and connect so easily to a great family. And they are doing some powerful work here, so I was proud of them for that.
We are continuing to become closer friends with the teachers and interpreters we work with. They are a fun group of guys to hang out with and learn from. Even though tomorrow is our last day of teaching, I'm hoping that we can spend some time with them on Thursday, the day we set aside to spend around town and seeing some cool things and places. Today, we took lots of pictures, so we can get those circulated once we get home. Don't be surprised if you see an Afghan guy wearing an Alabama hat by the way. Roll Tide!!
Well, it's time for us to get some sleep and be ready for a busy day. I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Can't wait to see you all again.
Khoda Hafez!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Teaching
Salaam!
So, we have been teaching the last two days, and I think made some great progress. In the mornings, I teach typing, then Dave teaches resume building/career counseling to the older guys. Then, in the afternoon, we teach two groups of English classes to boys ages 4-18 or so.
In the typing course, they are quick learners and usually follow instructions pretty well. No one has taught them how to type without looking at the keyboard to develop the muscle memory. And many of these guys will be working in offices in the city, so computer skills are vital. I've been channeling the spirit of my typing teacher, Mrs. Pate, from high school. Calling out letters, combinations of letters, and soon, words and sentences.
In Afghanistan, it is a pretty common theme to lack organization and structure. They are extremely teachable, but do not have the long-term plans to achieve their goals. So, Dave began teaching a career course today that helped the older students identify their career goals, think about what is needed to achieve them, and get them thinking about specific steps they can take to achieve these. The next few days will be spent nailing down the specifics for each student and building the resume and creating a step-by-step path for them to follow. Today was very informative. We even had a couple of future journalists in our class and a couple of future pilots which made Dave and me happy.
In the English classes, the current teachers have been teaching loads and loads of grammar, which apparently, Afghans love. But, on our first day, like the other classes, we wanted to gauge exactly where the students were. They knew about demonstrative and subjective pronouns, but couldn't spell or pronounce words like 'grapes' correctly. So, we figured as native English speakers, the thing we brought to the table was the ability to pronounce words. It is very difficult for a non-native speaker to teach a language besides his own. So, we have been working on phonics and vocabulary. 'Grapes' for some reason keeps coming up in our flash cards. It's funny to hear it pronounced 'gereps'. There are quite a few combinations of sounds that are foreign to them. For me, it was the Ghein and Ghaf in Farsi that I still haven't mastered. For them, it is 'TH' because there is no TH sound in Dari or Pashto. We heard all sorts of attempts from 'Ze' to 'Te' to 'Se' to 'De' to whatever. "This and That" became a fun phrase for all of us, even the translators.
My favorite thing about the students here is their eagerness to learn. Our biggest problem is getting them to not answer a question when it isn't their turn. And for a teacher, that's a nice problem to have. For all of the teachers out there, you would love teaching here. If you feel called at all to teach somewhere besides the states, especially the women teachers, come over here for a week or two and see how attentive and excited these kids are. You won't want to leave.
We also end up functioning on what we call "Afghan time" which can be a window of a couple of hours or more. The school is pretty rigid about when a class starts, but everything else is a game of patience. For me, it's quite natural. The advice is always have a good book near you, because you will find yourself with a little extra time between appointments. It's also very difficult to judge how long it will take to travel. There are many more variables here than there are in the states, so everyone has to be a little more flexible.
We have also begun building some more good friendships with the translators and teachers. It's great connecting to the people here. We've had a lot of fun working together and talking over lunch about our families and our future. And, I should have quite a few pictures to share later on.
Well, sorry to be so long-winded. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. I'll be back home on Saturday. I would love an extra week to teach. But, I'll be back here in Kabul again soon. Khoda Hafez!
So, we have been teaching the last two days, and I think made some great progress. In the mornings, I teach typing, then Dave teaches resume building/career counseling to the older guys. Then, in the afternoon, we teach two groups of English classes to boys ages 4-18 or so.
In the typing course, they are quick learners and usually follow instructions pretty well. No one has taught them how to type without looking at the keyboard to develop the muscle memory. And many of these guys will be working in offices in the city, so computer skills are vital. I've been channeling the spirit of my typing teacher, Mrs. Pate, from high school. Calling out letters, combinations of letters, and soon, words and sentences.
In Afghanistan, it is a pretty common theme to lack organization and structure. They are extremely teachable, but do not have the long-term plans to achieve their goals. So, Dave began teaching a career course today that helped the older students identify their career goals, think about what is needed to achieve them, and get them thinking about specific steps they can take to achieve these. The next few days will be spent nailing down the specifics for each student and building the resume and creating a step-by-step path for them to follow. Today was very informative. We even had a couple of future journalists in our class and a couple of future pilots which made Dave and me happy.
In the English classes, the current teachers have been teaching loads and loads of grammar, which apparently, Afghans love. But, on our first day, like the other classes, we wanted to gauge exactly where the students were. They knew about demonstrative and subjective pronouns, but couldn't spell or pronounce words like 'grapes' correctly. So, we figured as native English speakers, the thing we brought to the table was the ability to pronounce words. It is very difficult for a non-native speaker to teach a language besides his own. So, we have been working on phonics and vocabulary. 'Grapes' for some reason keeps coming up in our flash cards. It's funny to hear it pronounced 'gereps'. There are quite a few combinations of sounds that are foreign to them. For me, it was the Ghein and Ghaf in Farsi that I still haven't mastered. For them, it is 'TH' because there is no TH sound in Dari or Pashto. We heard all sorts of attempts from 'Ze' to 'Te' to 'Se' to 'De' to whatever. "This and That" became a fun phrase for all of us, even the translators.
My favorite thing about the students here is their eagerness to learn. Our biggest problem is getting them to not answer a question when it isn't their turn. And for a teacher, that's a nice problem to have. For all of the teachers out there, you would love teaching here. If you feel called at all to teach somewhere besides the states, especially the women teachers, come over here for a week or two and see how attentive and excited these kids are. You won't want to leave.
We also end up functioning on what we call "Afghan time" which can be a window of a couple of hours or more. The school is pretty rigid about when a class starts, but everything else is a game of patience. For me, it's quite natural. The advice is always have a good book near you, because you will find yourself with a little extra time between appointments. It's also very difficult to judge how long it will take to travel. There are many more variables here than there are in the states, so everyone has to be a little more flexible.
We have also begun building some more good friendships with the translators and teachers. It's great connecting to the people here. We've had a lot of fun working together and talking over lunch about our families and our future. And, I should have quite a few pictures to share later on.
Well, sorry to be so long-winded. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. I'll be back home on Saturday. I would love an extra week to teach. But, I'll be back here in Kabul again soon. Khoda Hafez!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Eye-opening
Salaam! Sobh Bekhe,
None of the pictures or descriptions of Kabul or rural Afghanistan prepare one for what will be encountered here. Some of you who have had the fortune to travel to a highly populated city where there is rampant poverty will understand. There is so much infrastructure needed here, roads, sewers, buildings, etc. The thing that has impressed me is the Afghans' ability to make use out of every possible thing at their disposal. What they lack in resources, they make up for in innovation.
Another thing is that the people here are so intent on making a better life, they don't take the time to complain about the little things. We could learn a huge lesson from this attitude. For all the time spent whining about what we think should be and isn't, we could probably do a lot of good towards that very goal about which we are complaining. There is plenty to whine about here; mud roads, trash, broken buildings, crazy (and I mean reallllly crazy) drivers that might run you over, the lack of rule of law and orderliness. But people accept it as a way of life and find a way to work around it.
Also, the people I've met are extremely friendly. There are some inquisitive stares from strangers, but as soon as you engage them, the smiles come out. If you're making the effort to connect, they will reciprocate.
So, everyday since we've been here, we've met with an organization about what they need from us, what we can do for them, or about what we are planning to do. Yesterday, we went to the community center where we will be teaching and had a chance to introduce ourselves and begin the preparations for the computer and English lessons. There's gonna be lots of students, so we will be very busy. They rarely get an opportunity to interact with native English speakers, so it should be valuable to them. Many of them will be looking for jobs in the city, and English is a great tool to have when applying.
There is a group of engineers here that are working with the organization to improve the infrastructure of the existing centers and drawing up plans for new ones. They're a great group of like-minded people who travel to the remote parts of the Earth to make life better for those in developing countries. It's been a pleasure working with them. And, b/c we're all nerds, we had a discussion/debate about math problems last night. Good times. FYI, Brandon, we were wrong about the three doors problem in the movie 21. You should definitely switch doors. It took 10,000 iterations to prove it to me, but I finally gave in. And most of you know how stubborn I am in a debate.
We've also had a chance to become friends with the permanent Afghan staff here. Dave is working with them right now on some self-defense moves he learned while in the military. I've become good friends with one of our interpreters who is a college student here. He helps me with Dari, and I'm teaching him some English idioms and slang. It's been a lot of fun.
The team house is really busy. We've got the engineers, a doctor visiting, the two of us, the hosts, the president of the organization, and almost every night there have been visitors for dinner that work closely with us. Lots of people, lots of backgrounds, and lots of new ideas and experiences.
As for the scenery, it is absolutely gorgeous here. Kabul is about the same elevation as Denver, CO. And the city is between lots of white-capped mountains. I like hanging out on the roof and just taking it all in. We're in a very safe part of town, so don't worry about that. In fact, I haven't felt intimidated at all since I've been here. So, all the prayers are working. Keep 'em coming.
Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I should be able to share some more specifics when I get back to the States, but on here I'm still limited. Thank you all once again. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Khoda Hafez!
None of the pictures or descriptions of Kabul or rural Afghanistan prepare one for what will be encountered here. Some of you who have had the fortune to travel to a highly populated city where there is rampant poverty will understand. There is so much infrastructure needed here, roads, sewers, buildings, etc. The thing that has impressed me is the Afghans' ability to make use out of every possible thing at their disposal. What they lack in resources, they make up for in innovation.
Another thing is that the people here are so intent on making a better life, they don't take the time to complain about the little things. We could learn a huge lesson from this attitude. For all the time spent whining about what we think should be and isn't, we could probably do a lot of good towards that very goal about which we are complaining. There is plenty to whine about here; mud roads, trash, broken buildings, crazy (and I mean reallllly crazy) drivers that might run you over, the lack of rule of law and orderliness. But people accept it as a way of life and find a way to work around it.
Also, the people I've met are extremely friendly. There are some inquisitive stares from strangers, but as soon as you engage them, the smiles come out. If you're making the effort to connect, they will reciprocate.
So, everyday since we've been here, we've met with an organization about what they need from us, what we can do for them, or about what we are planning to do. Yesterday, we went to the community center where we will be teaching and had a chance to introduce ourselves and begin the preparations for the computer and English lessons. There's gonna be lots of students, so we will be very busy. They rarely get an opportunity to interact with native English speakers, so it should be valuable to them. Many of them will be looking for jobs in the city, and English is a great tool to have when applying.
There is a group of engineers here that are working with the organization to improve the infrastructure of the existing centers and drawing up plans for new ones. They're a great group of like-minded people who travel to the remote parts of the Earth to make life better for those in developing countries. It's been a pleasure working with them. And, b/c we're all nerds, we had a discussion/debate about math problems last night. Good times. FYI, Brandon, we were wrong about the three doors problem in the movie 21. You should definitely switch doors. It took 10,000 iterations to prove it to me, but I finally gave in. And most of you know how stubborn I am in a debate.
We've also had a chance to become friends with the permanent Afghan staff here. Dave is working with them right now on some self-defense moves he learned while in the military. I've become good friends with one of our interpreters who is a college student here. He helps me with Dari, and I'm teaching him some English idioms and slang. It's been a lot of fun.
The team house is really busy. We've got the engineers, a doctor visiting, the two of us, the hosts, the president of the organization, and almost every night there have been visitors for dinner that work closely with us. Lots of people, lots of backgrounds, and lots of new ideas and experiences.
As for the scenery, it is absolutely gorgeous here. Kabul is about the same elevation as Denver, CO. And the city is between lots of white-capped mountains. I like hanging out on the roof and just taking it all in. We're in a very safe part of town, so don't worry about that. In fact, I haven't felt intimidated at all since I've been here. So, all the prayers are working. Keep 'em coming.
Well, I hope everyone is doing well. I should be able to share some more specifics when I get back to the States, but on here I'm still limited. Thank you all once again. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Khoda Hafez!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Salaam!
We are in country and doing great. Everyone has been incredibly hospitable and helpful. We've had a chance to meet quite a few people and see some of the city. We will probably be pretty busy the next few days, but I will try and find some time to post again. We are very limited on anything that can be posted here, so I'll try to find out what is ok with the team. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing well. Thanks again to everyone!
We are in country and doing great. Everyone has been incredibly hospitable and helpful. We've had a chance to meet quite a few people and see some of the city. We will probably be pretty busy the next few days, but I will try and find some time to post again. We are very limited on anything that can be posted here, so I'll try to find out what is ok with the team. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing well. Thanks again to everyone!
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