Flexibility
"Be flexible," the PC staff repeated to us during training. It was their mantra for success in Ukraine.
I feel that I have been flexible. I did not have an ideal host family situation, but I lived through it. I do what is asked when it is asked without complaining.
And then, when I arrived at work on last Monday, I had no room number for my creative writing class. It was not my first period, so I did not panic. When the break before the class came I asked around where would my class be? After my coordinator made some inquiries on my behalf, he said that i probably would not have my fourth years anymore as they had to prepare to take state exams. I expressed my disappointment and asked if it would be possible for me to continue our classes, as I love those girls. He seemed to infer that my work with them was over and that he'd get me my new schedule. "хорошо" I said. Flexibility. I am flexible.
Then he told me that for tomorrow I would have to give a report on higher education and something about integration into Europe. i thought that maybe he was joking. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes, maybe something ilke 10 minutes." Fear gripped me. After further inquiry he said that it could be on any topic I wanted in higher education, which was a relief, but still not much. He then said, "okay, 5 minutes and you shall find a student to translate for you." He also said the presentation would be on Wednesday, maybe, but it would definitely have to be done by tomorrow. I asked him "when did you lear about this, today?" He said yes. I asked who else would be speaking and he said he would, others would, etc. I asked him what he will speak about, and he responded his dissertation topic. I asked another English teacher and she responded with something that flew over my head about sociolinguistics. I panicked. But then thought, well, if he can takl about his topic, why couldn't I talk about mine? I asekd him, but then quickly decided that since they also mentioned perhaps talking about new methods of teaching, I'd talk about service learning. Why not? I man my days from MACC and Lasell should be capitalized on, right?
Even with that quick save though, I still don't understand how people can do something like that at a moment's notice. Ukrainians seem to have a natural gift for this flexibility that seems so difficlt for us Americans. I acn't imagine being at a university in the States and being told you must make a speech and that you only have one day to prepare.
When I went to a volunteer's apartment afterwards (he was admist cleaning everything out because he left N-- that day) I received a phone call from my coordinator. "We need the title of your report. Text it to me now." I hung up, looked at him and said, "Can you believe that? I'm told less than an hour ago and they already want a title!" "Call it 'Something that I just pulled out of my ass,'" he suggested. I settled instead on "Service Learning: What is it and how does it work in the classroom."
Again, this is now something that I suppose I am "used to" but still can not really get and I am torn between an admiration of my peers for their ability to go with the flow and a sense of incredulousness that this is how things should be run.
But it matters little, as I must just keep repeating "be flexible, be flexible, be flexible...."
post script: We finally had this "conference" today. It was held in the Ukrainian Theater in town, which is beautiful. It turns out that I was the only препадевтел to speak. Arg. But at least it is over and it wasn't all bad.
I feel that I have been flexible. I did not have an ideal host family situation, but I lived through it. I do what is asked when it is asked without complaining.
And then, when I arrived at work on last Monday, I had no room number for my creative writing class. It was not my first period, so I did not panic. When the break before the class came I asked around where would my class be? After my coordinator made some inquiries on my behalf, he said that i probably would not have my fourth years anymore as they had to prepare to take state exams. I expressed my disappointment and asked if it would be possible for me to continue our classes, as I love those girls. He seemed to infer that my work with them was over and that he'd get me my new schedule. "хорошо" I said. Flexibility. I am flexible.
Then he told me that for tomorrow I would have to give a report on higher education and something about integration into Europe. i thought that maybe he was joking. "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes, maybe something ilke 10 minutes." Fear gripped me. After further inquiry he said that it could be on any topic I wanted in higher education, which was a relief, but still not much. He then said, "okay, 5 minutes and you shall find a student to translate for you." He also said the presentation would be on Wednesday, maybe, but it would definitely have to be done by tomorrow. I asked him "when did you lear about this, today?" He said yes. I asked who else would be speaking and he said he would, others would, etc. I asked him what he will speak about, and he responded his dissertation topic. I asked another English teacher and she responded with something that flew over my head about sociolinguistics. I panicked. But then thought, well, if he can takl about his topic, why couldn't I talk about mine? I asekd him, but then quickly decided that since they also mentioned perhaps talking about new methods of teaching, I'd talk about service learning. Why not? I man my days from MACC and Lasell should be capitalized on, right?
Even with that quick save though, I still don't understand how people can do something like that at a moment's notice. Ukrainians seem to have a natural gift for this flexibility that seems so difficlt for us Americans. I acn't imagine being at a university in the States and being told you must make a speech and that you only have one day to prepare.
When I went to a volunteer's apartment afterwards (he was admist cleaning everything out because he left N-- that day) I received a phone call from my coordinator. "We need the title of your report. Text it to me now." I hung up, looked at him and said, "Can you believe that? I'm told less than an hour ago and they already want a title!" "Call it 'Something that I just pulled out of my ass,'" he suggested. I settled instead on "Service Learning: What is it and how does it work in the classroom."
Again, this is now something that I suppose I am "used to" but still can not really get and I am torn between an admiration of my peers for their ability to go with the flow and a sense of incredulousness that this is how things should be run.
But it matters little, as I must just keep repeating "be flexible, be flexible, be flexible...."
post script: We finally had this "conference" today. It was held in the Ukrainian Theater in town, which is beautiful. It turns out that I was the only препадевтел to speak. Arg. But at least it is over and it wasn't all bad.
posted by Molly | 10:21 AM
1 Comments:
This reminds me of an amusing anecdote about a country that does not like to do things at the last minute.
It was told by Ridley Scott, the film director from South Shields, UK, about making his film "Black Rain" in Japan. During pre-production, they had applied to film in a Tokyo mall, and were sent a complete floor plan of the mall by the Japanese culture department (or whatever it is called) and asked to mark where they would be placing their cameras. Scott, not even finished with the screenplay and casting, absent mindedly put a couple of 'X's down and thought no more about it, assuming he could pretty much set up anywhere come actual shooting. On the day, nearly a year later, the crew arrived at the mall to be met by besuited culture department officials with the same map bearing Scotts crosses, who helpfully showed them exactly where they were allowed to set up.
And oddly enough, it is the best scene in an otherwise shitty movie.
Is there any reason why they tell you one day in advance? Incompetantce? A test? Speed of translation? Just the way things are done in Uk?
-e
Post a Comment
<< Home