Busy busy busy busy. Did I mention I was busy? I’ve been intending to write this for a week, but have literally just got the time today. To be fair, a fortnightly blog would be a decent output over the course of a year, but so much has happened in the intervening period that this post could take some time.
Firstly, Andrew and I arrived in Ihavandhoo on Monday 9th Jan. This was just a few days behind schedule, which I’ve learnt is actually quite good going in the Maldives. The journey from Male’ is normally some trek – we’re talking a $20 and 15-hour boat ride – but on this occasion we were travelling in style! So it was a flight by a little turboprop plane (for $80) up to the regional airport on the island Hanimadhoo. This took around 45 minutes, surrounded by rich tourists on their connecting flight, who looked rather annoyed when I shoved ten toilet rolls into the overhead locker. Ignoring the Rolex-and-cologne brigade wasn’t too difficult though, because the flight was just stunning, in the midday sun, without a cloud in the sky, looking down at the tiny islands and neon blue lagoons.
Firstly, Andrew and I arrived in Ihavandhoo on Monday 9th Jan. This was just a few days behind schedule, which I’ve learnt is actually quite good going in the Maldives. The journey from Male’ is normally some trek – we’re talking a $20 and 15-hour boat ride – but on this occasion we were travelling in style! So it was a flight by a little turboprop plane (for $80) up to the regional airport on the island Hanimadhoo. This took around 45 minutes, surrounded by rich tourists on their connecting flight, who looked rather annoyed when I shoved ten toilet rolls into the overhead locker. Ignoring the Rolex-and-cologne brigade wasn’t too difficult though, because the flight was just stunning, in the midday sun, without a cloud in the sky, looking down at the tiny islands and neon blue lagoons.
Our transfer from the airport was, if anything, even more impressive. We were met at a beautiful jetty in Hanimadhoo by a speedboat taxi, which combined a lightweight plastic body and an ominous YAMAHA 3000 motor to skim over to my new home at 50mph. I lounged in the back, casually sported my “Genuine Ray Bun” shades (only $6 in Male’ - bargain), and watched the occasional flying fish glide across the water. It was OK.
Bizarrely, it started raining as we arrived in Ihavandhoo harbour. I hoped this was not some omen, but then remembered I’m not stupid enough to believe there’s any form of established link between the weather and doom-laden prophecies, so I put it down to coincidence. Maybe after some freak thunder and lightning…
We met the principal to receive our timetables, and then had our belongings transported to the two rooms that the school had acquired for us. Surprisingly, we are living separately, as the island is currently undergoing some substantial construction work to protect it from erosion, and most available houses have been snapped up by the construction firm to provide lodgings for their workers. So I’m living with Mrs Z, her mother, brother, and three children. The family has provided me with a big airy room, painted in various pastel shades, with a little ensuite. The only clue that I may have shunted someone out of their bedroom is the big HELLO KITTY sticker that covers my wardrobe door. But apparently these living arrangements are temporary – Andrew’s host family are moving to Male’ in March and they’re tendering to rent out their entire house. Still, I wouldn’t be too upset if I was living with Mrs Z for the year. They’re lovely, helpful, and provide me with a curry and roshi breakfast every morning! The only reasons I’m tempted to move in a few months is: a) the extra privacy; b) a kitchen where I can make pots of bland, tasteless evening meals, without the obligation to accept handfuls of chili thrown in.
I started teaching on Tuesday 10th January. School days run from Sunday to Thursday, as Friday is the Muslim holy day, so it was quite a short week! I’ve been handed two English classes in Grade 11 (they have 2.5 hours each per week), and two classes in Grade 8 (they have 4 hours each per week), so I’m technically teaching for just 13 hours a week. However, the marking and preparation is quite substantial, and I’ve seen the rather mystifying sheet on the noticeboard that says I am “in charge” of the English extra-curricular club. I’m not sure what that entails just yet, but I’m sure it will take a few hours of my time! There’s also the need to run extra sessions for the kids in 8A who actually want to learn anything. There are 24 boys in that class, and half of them, if I’m being charitable, “could do better”. The sad thing is they massively disrupt the lessons to the extent that I can hardly teach the other half, so I’ve realized that doing most of the speaking and feedback will have to happen in free time. I’ve also realized I’ve become every teacher I’ve ever known: “you’re wasting your own time”, “I don’t have to be here”, “Can we settle down and get this done PLEASE?!” What has happened to me?
Fortunately most of the other grades are quite friendly, and I’m enjoying the teaching, although it’s quite frustrating to have so many kids who really don’t want to be in school at all. Some are telling me, in slightly less fluent language, that their life was always on a trajectory to the fishing boat (or the hearth), and school is simply a waste of time until they can go out and earn money! Good money too, judging by some of the expensive boats in the harbor. Money and globalization is just starting to seep into the island – it obtained electricity in 2008, and now most of the homes have a little television, and occasionally a laptop. Major Hollywood blockbusters have also made it, judging by the number of shouts of “Harry Potter” directed at me when I arrived on the first day wearing glasses. This has been (quite unsuccessfully) tackled by wearing contact lenses ever since. Apparently white skin and dark hair is enough.
I’ve settled in to the school community relatively well, and getting to know many teachers of both Maldivian and Indian extraction. The other English teachers are all expats from the Southern India regions of either Kerala or Tamil Nadu, including Mr Joy, Mrs Celine, and the Magnificent Merlin Mento. He’s 29, from Tamil Nadu, and speaks excellent English. Most evenings I go over to their compound to cook, chat or watch TV with them, and we normally wander down to the harbor in the evenings to meet a few others. This is a mix of those on the fringe of Ihavandhoo society, such as one of Merlin's friends called Karupu, who is employed on the constructions. He has been working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, for 2500 Rufiyaa a month – approximately 105 quid. So it's quite a tough existence. He hasn’t seen his family for three and a half years, but his leave time is coming up in March/April, and he’s looking forward to going home. It makes my ten months – and significantly higher allowance – seem like a relative breeze...
I’ve settled in to the school community relatively well, and getting to know many teachers of both Maldivian and Indian extraction. The other English teachers are all expats from the Southern India regions of either Kerala or Tamil Nadu, including Mr Joy, Mrs Celine, and the Magnificent Merlin Mento. He’s 29, from Tamil Nadu, and speaks excellent English. Most evenings I go over to their compound to cook, chat or watch TV with them, and we normally wander down to the harbor in the evenings to meet a few others. This is a mix of those on the fringe of Ihavandhoo society, such as one of Merlin's friends called Karupu, who is employed on the constructions. He has been working 12 hour days, 6 days a week, for 2500 Rufiyaa a month – approximately 105 quid. So it's quite a tough existence. He hasn’t seen his family for three and a half years, but his leave time is coming up in March/April, and he’s looking forward to going home. It makes my ten months – and significantly higher allowance – seem like a relative breeze...
Especially given the benefits of weekends in the Maldives! School starts at 7am and finishes at 12.20am, so it really seems like two and a half days off every week. Which is just fantastic, because there is so much relaxing that can be squeezed into that time. In fact it’s 14.15 on Thursday right now – so I have a brilliant few days stretching far ahead of me. The plan is to get up for cricket with the Indian teachers and Pakistani principal at 6am tomorrow, have a kickabout with some of my Grade 11 guys at 9am, and go hunting fish afterwards with two Grade 8 boys. Last weekend I swam out to the live coral reef with Merlin, and snorkeled amongst a multi-coloured mass of tropical fish. The highlight, however, was following an unperturbed sea turtle as it meandered around the reef. Hopefully there will be opportunity to do that again on Saturday – or maybe I’ll raise the stakes and seek out a shark!
It’s not all a wonderful and untroubled paradise. In fact, when I made an abortive attempt to start this blog last week I had one incident which would have made everything sound quite bitter. It involved a man trying to trick me into giving his family six hours of tuition for one quarter the standard price. It seems quite funny and irrelevant on reflection, but mainly because I managed to wriggle out of any reduced commitment I made there. I don’t actually want to charge anything for the help and classes I’m running – I was just angered by a very blatant and manipulative attempt to take advantage of a newcomer to island life and culture. A better anecdote, however, is that I had to beat two massive cockroaches to death with a water bottle last Tuesday. They were two-inches long, scuttling and flying around my room, and one landed on my shoulder. Absolutely disgusting. Also I was being bitten to death by mosquitos – until I realized that the gap in one corner of my net was merely creating a trap and keeping them in a free buffet (thanks Niall).
But I’m in a good mood today – it’s hot, sunny, the start of a long relaxing weekend, and next week has both a P.D. day and a national holiday, and a potential visit to a resort to celebrate my upcoming 22nd birthday! So I’ll leave on a happy and slightly smug final note…
Enjoy work tomorrow everyone! ;)
Enjoy work tomorrow everyone! ;)
P.S. I wrote much of this whilst watching a ‘made for TV movie’ called Sharktopus. If anyone wants to be incredibly amused for an hour or two…
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