I am many things to many people. Mostly, I am a teacher. But please, don't put me in some sort of box. I have many skills.
My new favorite activity is standing in the afternoon desert heat. In pants and long sleeves and a tie. After school every day, parents come to pick up their kids and attempt to wade through the sea of cars within the narrow, narrow street. Teachers are always outside turning this street into a one way road (which the neighborhood residents don't appreciate). I have traffic duty twice a week.
However, this week, I added a new job to my list: firefighter.
I was standing near my room watching students move to and fro during their break. I can see down the hallway and outside, and as I'm staring blankly down this hallway, a student runs in, grabs the fire extinguisher, and runs away. Mischief was in the air.
As I tore off after the punk, the kids are saying to me, "Mr. Joshua, there's a fire!" And I was thinking in my head, "I'm sure there is. Go to class." As I follow our little thief around the building, I see smoke billowing from the bushes at the back of the school. As I got nearer, I saw the flames. We're not talking about small flamelets. I'm talking about large LARGE flames. Large enough for about 30 people to roast marshmallows on. Of course, I started freaking out.
I grabbed the fire extinguisher and got in as close as I could and started spraying it. I soon finished that one and before I was done putting out the fire, about 4 fire extinguishers had been used up. I didn't even know we had four fire extinguishers at the school. My clothes wreaked of campfire smoke for the rest of the day.
What caused the fire, you're probably wondering. I'm wondering, too. Student mischief comes to mind, but I don't know.
What matters is that I win this week's "hero award".
Oct 5, 2006
Sep 29, 2006
"His Still Quiet Voice" Update #2
I have some very exciting news. My wee brother David entered a film he directed and produced in a film competition in San Antonio, TX. Some may remember the blog entry from a few months ago.He (finally) found out today that he has made it as a semi-finalist in the film competition! He is now in the running for a $10,000 cash prize. Check out "His Still Quiet Voice" on the festival's website.
David will be traveling to San Antonio on October 19-21 with my parents to attend the festival, which also includes workshops on film production.
Check back here for updates on the film festival progress. Promoting the film is the least I can do, as I was the only family member not to appear in the film...
j/k David. I'll be in the next one. Maybe. If you do a documentary on Bahrain.
Sep 28, 2006
Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Water Heater
This past week, I have been without hot water. You wouldn't think this would be a problem - I mean, I live in a fairly hot climate. Either the water is already hot or a cool shower would be refreshing.
However, we have our air conditioning on so blasted high that we open up our freezer to defrost our kitchen. So its imparitive to have hot water in the morning. Yet, we have suffered.
My roomate, Steven, went to our landlord, asking him to come up to take a look at our water heater. He thus came up, and as I followed him into the laundry room, he began to stare hard at our broken machine. He then started to walk slowly away. I bordered on being annoyed - he hadnt' even touched the water heater, much less fixed anything.
He went to the wall opposite the heater, and headed for a switch on the wall - the switch to the light that was out in that room. He flipped the switch and gave me a satisfied smile that said "I fixed everything." (His English is limited, and Arabic certainly isn't my first language).
I was confused. Not only had he forgotten about the water heater, but he obviously hadn't fixed the broken light, either. "What about the water heater?"
"Fixed." He pointed to the heater hanging from the ceiling. A sly smile creeped onto his face.
I up behind me and saw a little red light at the bottom of the heater that I had never seen before. And then it dawned on me. The water heater is turned on and off by that switch. And the light in the laundry room - nope, its not broken. There's actually another light switch in the room.
Just be happy I'm not teaching YOUR kids.
However, we have our air conditioning on so blasted high that we open up our freezer to defrost our kitchen. So its imparitive to have hot water in the morning. Yet, we have suffered.
My roomate, Steven, went to our landlord, asking him to come up to take a look at our water heater. He thus came up, and as I followed him into the laundry room, he began to stare hard at our broken machine. He then started to walk slowly away. I bordered on being annoyed - he hadnt' even touched the water heater, much less fixed anything.
He went to the wall opposite the heater, and headed for a switch on the wall - the switch to the light that was out in that room. He flipped the switch and gave me a satisfied smile that said "I fixed everything." (His English is limited, and Arabic certainly isn't my first language).
I was confused. Not only had he forgotten about the water heater, but he obviously hadn't fixed the broken light, either. "What about the water heater?"
"Fixed." He pointed to the heater hanging from the ceiling. A sly smile creeped onto his face.
I up behind me and saw a little red light at the bottom of the heater that I had never seen before. And then it dawned on me. The water heater is turned on and off by that switch. And the light in the laundry room - nope, its not broken. There's actually another light switch in the room.
Just be happy I'm not teaching YOUR kids.
Sep 23, 2006
Ramadan
In a few hours, Ramadan will start.
Ramadan is the month in the Islamic calendar in which the Prophet Mohamed received his visions from the angel Gabriel, which are written in the Qur'an. During this time, muslims fast from sun-up till sun-down. They will wake up around 4:30 every morning to eat before the sunrise. The rest of the day, they don't eat or drink anything. Once the sun has gone down, they will gather with family and friends to break the fast for the evening. In Bahrain, it is against the law to eat or drink in public. Restaurants are closed until nighttime, but are open all night.
The fasting is a tangible way to cleanse the body, and an act in which Muslims seek to become closer to God and to know His will.
Typically, school goes from 7am till 3pm. During Ramadan, school will only go from 8am till 1pm. Most students will be tired and worn out from the fasting and late nights, as will many teachers.
Ramadan ends in mid-October with the Eid ul-Fitr festival (and marks the beginning of the following month).
Ramadan is the month in the Islamic calendar in which the Prophet Mohamed received his visions from the angel Gabriel, which are written in the Qur'an. During this time, muslims fast from sun-up till sun-down. They will wake up around 4:30 every morning to eat before the sunrise. The rest of the day, they don't eat or drink anything. Once the sun has gone down, they will gather with family and friends to break the fast for the evening. In Bahrain, it is against the law to eat or drink in public. Restaurants are closed until nighttime, but are open all night.
The fasting is a tangible way to cleanse the body, and an act in which Muslims seek to become closer to God and to know His will.
Typically, school goes from 7am till 3pm. During Ramadan, school will only go from 8am till 1pm. Most students will be tired and worn out from the fasting and late nights, as will many teachers.
Ramadan ends in mid-October with the Eid ul-Fitr festival (and marks the beginning of the following month).
Sep 15, 2006
A Fundraiser Downtown
I just returned from the Coral Beach Hotel in downtown Manama (the capital city of Bahrain). There, the Lebonese embassy put on a fundraiser to help purchase medical supplies for children hurt in Lebanon. There is at least one family in our apartment complex who has family in Lebabnon, and was there when the war started. As they were selling tickets to the event, I decided to buy one. Many of the people in our apartment complex went, so it was also a good oportunity to meet some of the people around me.
Even though I like political intrigue and world events, they often seem very distant, abstract and like an interesting story in a book. But the rubber has met the road in the last few weeks as I have met countless lebanese - some of them my students (and even a few who are at this school as a result of the war) and some my neighbors, all who have family and friends in the areas of Lebanon affected. Politics and foreign policy - which sometimes make things like this too abstract and a mere mental exercise - get put into the backseat as I see faces that try to show steele, but are betrayed by the fear and uncertainty washing about behind their eyes.
And so once again, life gets put into perspective. School will be hard this year - but not that hard. Living in a new culture, with new norms and values, and new ways of doing things will be frustrating - but things could be worse. Much worse. And I would do well to remember that.
Even though I like political intrigue and world events, they often seem very distant, abstract and like an interesting story in a book. But the rubber has met the road in the last few weeks as I have met countless lebanese - some of them my students (and even a few who are at this school as a result of the war) and some my neighbors, all who have family and friends in the areas of Lebanon affected. Politics and foreign policy - which sometimes make things like this too abstract and a mere mental exercise - get put into the backseat as I see faces that try to show steele, but are betrayed by the fear and uncertainty washing about behind their eyes.
And so once again, life gets put into perspective. School will be hard this year - but not that hard. Living in a new culture, with new norms and values, and new ways of doing things will be frustrating - but things could be worse. Much worse. And I would do well to remember that.
