an entry somewhere else

Last weekend, I went up to Manado for what may be my last brouhaha in the north of the island. Some things were changed in Manado since last year. The warung on the Boulevard were removed; traffic lights and roadsigns were installed and a few one-way streets were found. Two malls were finished. Yes, Manado is being built up and I’m not sure if it really should be. Tourists really don’t go to the mainland up there (unless it’s to an all-inclusive resort); they go diving out on the smaller islands. Of course, I’m not a city planner, so what do I know.

Much was supposed to be done while I was gone, but it didn’t. I wasn’t surprised. Monday was presentation on the internet-based TOEFL in the middle of a presentation for Fulbright Indonesia. It went well and some of the students who always come to the weekly discussions at the UNHAS American Corner were there as well. Luckily, they asked a few questions and received free t-shirts in return.

The teacher center also received several of the tables I’ve been reminding people that we needed. An air conditioner was also in the shipment. However, it’s really too small for the room in which we’re using it–just like the other one. So much for writing down specifications… Actually, the tables are nice in that they have retractable legs and are darn light and easy to move. We are also starting to get recurring business at the center as teachers are starting to call us and ask when the next trainings are. If I only had six more months working at this job, it would probably be moving smoother than when I leave in two.

Classes are still going strong. Well, a couple of them are going strong. The small optional class being attended by about five students is a tough go. A lot of students here have upwards of twenty classes a week and this one is on top of that. They also know this class has no effect whatsoever on their GPA. They don’t do a lot of homework, and I’m feeling run-down on them. I told them off last week. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. It’s pretty sad to see a 6th semester English education major take thirty minutes to pound out three or four sentences. Luckily, the others put together paragraphs…