Chronicles of life

I gave my EAP students an oral presentation assignment. They were given ample time to prepare and yes, do expect STEWPIT excuses on the day of presentation. Don’t you just feel like strangling them alive? It gets into my nerve, without fail. Yeah, as if I was never a student before - been there done that - so i know their tricks well.

Some students did great job, especially the Nigerians - perfect and charismatic speakers. Almost Martin Luther King liked. I was so impressed, not to mention those who put in effort and tried their best.

The one and only student I could never forgive is this particular boy, a Malaysian, YES, a MALAYSIAN. Why the stress? We’ll see. He gave wonderful presentation, interesting information, well organized, everything went on well till…he came to introduce the attractions in Sarawak and Sabah. When defining the word "orangutan", he made a terminal mistake…he’s never pardoned. Here goes:

" In Sabah and Sarawak, the people are living on trees and jungles, these people are called the orangutans."

I jerked and halted the presentation, which i shouldn’t. I questioned him and asked if he knows what orangutan means, he confirmed his definition. At that point, i was furious i almost threw a chair at him. Of course he could rationalize me correcting his mistakes but he must have never knew why the big reaction - coz none of them knew I am a fellow Sarawakian… (mestilah, have to defend my tanah tumpah…). This was what i said: "How could you feed wrong information to the students? And you could have double - checked. It’s fine with that but it’s a sin to plant wrong impression to the others, what would people think of the sabahans and sarawakians? And what you said is absolutely not true.It’s a highly sensitive issue. For that reason, i am gonna minus 5 marks from you."
He was so sorry for making that statement but it’s been said and done. He has anger me and i feel really sorry for his ignorant…how could he be so IGNORANT! Even the Nigerians knew what orangutans are, in fact all his friends knew…sigh…

What has happened to my gargantuan temper…i am losing it. They would anger you with petty stuff but they will come with their muka dua puluh sen and butter you and beg you and make you all cool…i couldnt remember what happened and why i was angry. Perhaps it’s my age, most of them are around my age, some older. Despite trying to be mean, i often blew it…I love all my students, in fact.

What was i saying about feeling great with what you do and feeling heartening with how much your students love you…
Came back from my class to find a gift on my table…it’s from my student…and it’s a complete suit from Pakistan. How sweet…

Whether you are a teacher, a tutor, or a lecturer, you impart knowledge and you educate values at the same time. The greatest reward a teacher/lecturer could get in the end of the day is not the handsome pay or increment….but simply the love and respect he/she earned from the students. It’s really heartening to have students telling other lecturers how much they love you, and misses you when you are not around. Nigerian students are the group whom i thought is the toughest to handle, at certain point, i nearly gave up trying. But i do realize that students are flesh and blood too, as such, they have emotions and feelings just like i do…i know sincerity is the essence; to teach with a sincere heart, to want to help them improve. Eventually, they felt it and naturally, as emotional human, they walk your lead. I love all my students, regardless of who they are - My KUSESS students, Cempakans, and now, international students - Chinese, Iraqis, Nigerians, Vietnamese, Indonesians, and of course local students.

To empathize how one feels is to walk in
one’s shoes; or to walk with one’s feet.

I must be nuts to be able to chaff at my
own ordeal. Never once did it cross my mind that I would have to walk with the
aid of clutches.

11^th July 2007, is a day I
will register in my head forever – I was on my usual routine, going to work at 9am, and the accident halted my
everyday routine. An accident sounds serious but there was no collision, no
blood, just a dislocated right knee and a bump on my head. Everyone thought I
fell or tripped, but I didn’t. I just Miss-stepped and bent my right knee, I
lost balance and I timbered to the floor, knocking my head. I didn’t pass out,
but was dizzy due to the knock on the head. Passers by surrounded me and were
obviously trying to help me but in fact, they were hurting me more. In great
pain and was weak, I constantly muttered, “Don’t touch my leg” as some were
trying to pull and hold me. And my right knee was not a good sight – it’s
perfectly dislocated, the structure was out-tracked and the bone was protruded
towards right. I must suck that I can’t even walk properly and I must be smart
to choose such a perfect location. It was just right opposite the biology lab
and adjacent to the campus’s clinic. A doctor was there instantly. They had to
move me onto a wheel chair, while attempting to do so, my dislocated knee was
“relocated” and I swear the pain was the maximum of hell…funny that I didn’t
scream or cry. I was bothered not so much by my physical condition, but the
poor soup that’s lying there on the ground. I meant to drink it…I looked
helplessly at the spilled soup as I was being wheeled away to the clinic. The
doctor gave me a jab on the butt, bandaged my knee and I was immediately rushed
to Pantai Medical for a skull and knee scan. People around me were worried
sick, I wasn’t. After all, I knew my body better. I was really positive that it
was minor. Till that point, I did not inform hubby and my parents about it. I
did the x-ray, ct scan, and my skull as well as knee are in perfect condition,
no fracture detected. It was a long sigh of relief for everyone. Well, to look
at the bright side of what happened, the medical expenses were covered. If I
would have to pay for it, I would curse myself for the unnecessary out flow of
money. The driver is skilled, he avoided the massive jam, he drove pretty fast
to bring us back in piece in a short time. We got back to the campus’s clinic,
took some medicine, and Dr. Molly

was generous to lend me the
clutches. I was given a 3 days leave and I am spending my 3 “handicapped” days
in Diana

’s. She’s taking care of me
well. But she is restricting what I eat…I need sherbets every night…she said
“no, no”, I wanted cendol and ais kacang, she said “no way”. I didn’t expect Er
to drop by with Mike.

It’s so sweet of
you dear, thanks for “smuggling” the ais kacang for me….LOL,

if Diana ever finds out…

In these two days, I am undergoing
acupuncture therapy and massage. The recovery was speedy. Guess the acupuncture
had soothed the swell. I could move my right knee more. It will be better in a
few days. I am very positive and not a bit disturbed by what happened. The only
once I broke down was when I missed him. It’s like a baby girl who fell and
needed her papa to cuddle her, hug her, and kiss her well. As Er aptly put it,
I will never sob for a physical pain, but I will cry a river for an emotional
hurt.

I am living every weekday for weekend…
Relatively, I’m anticipating tomorrow. Can’t wait to be with my hubby…miss him so much