Conflict, Pt 2

Smile for the camera!

So, as I left the story, the meeting was over and we all went home.

But the saga continued...

See, I showed up for the first class session to find this student "sitting in wait" for me outside.

Student: "Teacher, there's a problem."

Me: "Oh? What's the problem?"

Student: "The administrator said I could go to class, but I just went in and my name isn't on the list."

Me: "Okay, and what should I do?"

Student: "Are you okay for me to go to class?"

Me: "Are you sure the administrator agreed that you could go to class?"

Student: "Yes, he said it's okay."

Me: "If he agreed then I have no problem. He's in charge of the class list."

So we entered the class. I tried to include the student from the start, so as not to stigmatize him from the rest of the class. During the first group practice time, however, the administrator pulled me aside.


"Abby, we have a problem." His voice was very serious.

"Oh? Tell me."

"There is a student here who should not be here. I told him multiple times this week that he lost his place in the class. You see, there are only 25 places on the list and I gave someone else his place. I talked with the other administrators and they all agreed that he is no longer welcome to take English classes in our town."

Oh dear. "I see. That is a problem. When I arrived at class this evening, he told me that you had agreed for him to rejoin the class, but he was upset that his name wasn't on the list."

"He said I agreed for him to come to class? That's a lie!"

"Yes, that is exactly what he said."

Posing with oil and vinegar

Then I went back to teaching and let the matter rest. Class ended and I was about to dismiss the students when the administrator asked to speak for a moment. He then proceeded to explain to the class what this student had done. The student stood up to defend himself, but no one wanted to listen to him. The other students started to discuss things and the administrator came to talk with me briefly.

"Don't worry, this isn't your problem. We will take care of it."  (Cool, okay, so...?)

"So, should I go?" He looks relieved. "Yes, you can go."

And I left.

(End of story: he came to the second class to say goodbye. I felt terrible, but who is in the class isn't up to me. Hopefully he will continue with English in a nearby town.)

Now how's that for a new conflict situation?

Goofing off with a little friend

It all started with a solar panel.

Because of the power situation on the island and students preferring late afternoon/evening classes, at least half of our classes taught at this particular school are done shrouded in darkness. The administrator has done an excellent job of keeping battery-powered light bars charged and available for class use, but they're nothing compared to an actual light fixture in the classroom.

So he suggested investing in a solar panel. The group of administrators also agreed that it was an excellent idea.

We're volunteer teachers, so the money wouldn't come from us. What students pay for the class mostly goes towards books, CDs, and the final certificate ceremony, so the leftover funds would be insufficient to buy a solar panel, inverter, and a battery.

We were just meeting before classes started to talk details-- an orientation, if you will -- all three levels, together with administrators and teachers. He mentioned the solar panel and considering how to pay for it.

Say cheese!

Then someone dared to object. And he didn't state his objection with proper deference to the administrator. And suddenly there was murmuring around the room and the administrator was mad.

Like, really mad.

He fussed around and said "there are plenty of people who want a place in the class." (Translation: I'm taking him off the list)

The shaming began. "This student doesn't care about other people or education. He only cares for himself. If he cares for himself, let him take his money back." *offers tuition money*  "He refuses to take it back? Fine." The administrator walked away and started moving books around.

The room settled briefly and I thought they'd move on, but no. The student walks to the front of the room and begins, "Asalam alekum." No one pays attention. He calls the administrator's name and the administrator keeps his back to him. So he turns to the other teacher and myself.

Chicken wings, green bananas, and coleslaw!

"Please, ask him to forgive me. I did not say it well. I do care. Forgive me. Ask him to forgive me."

I wish I could say that I immediately stood up and made an eloquent plea on the student's behalf, but... well... I was a little out of my depth and didn't really know how to proceed. I told him I understood and that I would talk to the administrator, but that didn't seem to be enough. So the student sat down again and a respected woman in the room proceeded to plead for him.

"He misspoke. He didn't say things well. All of us students want the best for these classes and we want to learn English well. If that means holding a fundraiser, so be it, but don't hold this against him. He knows he didn't speak well." (side note: when/if I grow up, I want to be like that woman. She's stellar.)

The administrator was appeased well enough to turn towards the room again and agree to let the student keep his place in the class. He gave a short speech that amounted to taking zero blame but allowing that more discussion needed to occur before deciding on the solar panel.

And then it was over. We "pled the path" and walked out.

But the conflict wasn't over. Stay tuned for part 2.

My brain on language

Mt. Kilimanjaro from the air

Imagine you're reaching into a bag. In the bag are a variety of shapes, in four different colors. Each color has a unique texture, but only slightly. Now you've got to reach into the bag and pull out a yellow star.

Hopefully you're not reaching into this bag...

If you've been pulling out yellow items all day, your fingers and brain know what texture to be feeling for. If, however, you've been pulling out green items all day, your fingers might think (at least for a moment) that the blue star is the right texture and that's what you pull out instead.

"Mana ntrini ulaguao tan rapido?" "J'ai compri muy mashteku."

And herein lies the problem of Spanglish, or Spanench, Franchani, or whatever-language combinations. You know any number of languages, but sometimes the first word that comes out of the bag is the right shape but the wrong color/texture. So you reach into your bag trying to get the French word for "dog" and come out with the Spanish word. Right shape... wrong color.

So if you see a multi-lingual person pause for a moment before uttering a simple word or mix languages from one phrase to the next, just realize that it's not always as easy as it looks.

And all that to say, I'm back in the land of language learning, and my brain is messed up. But it's a fun mess and a great challenge.

Breakfast with Kenya Airways

Heading home to the islands!

Island from the air

Off-island thoughts

I visited an elephant orphanage!

I'm heading back to the islands day after tomorrow. It's been a good and much-needed break. During this break I participated in a set of evaluation meetings, a conference, a retreat, and finally reached VACATION. Now, some vacations I travel and see things, but for this vacation I decided to just take it easy. So for the last while I've been hanging out at a guest house, visiting with people (workers on their way to or from something), watching movies, and reading. I like reading. Reading draws you into others' worlds and experiences, broadening perspectives and delighting the soul.

During this vacation, besides reading some novels for absolute relaxation, I've dived back into an old favorite, Desiring God, by John Piper. It's such a great read, I think instead of reading the rest of this post you should just go buy the book and explore its depths for yourself. But in case you don't have time for that or want to do a little book snacking, here are some quotes and thoughts of my own in response to them:

"Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that he will provide the help we need. Prayer humbles us as needy and exalts God as wealthy."
--  The more I pray, the more I realize just how incapable I am to do things on my own. All of life was created and is sustained by Him and it's utter arrogance to think that we can accomplish meaningful things apart from Him. Prayer doesn't just humble us, it humbles me.

"I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God."
-- Me neither.

"The deepest and most enduring happiness is found only in God. Not from God, but in God. The happiness we find in God reaches its consummation when it is shared with others in the manifold ways of love. To the extent that we try to abandon the pursuit of our own pleasure, we fail to honor God and love people."
-- Tricky, eh? The real catch here is that in pursuing our own pleasure (God), it doesn't rescue us from suffering. Life's still hard. But it's harder when I'm not zealously seeking and delighting myself in the Father. Related to that is this quote: "The call of Christ is a call to live a life of sacrifice and loss and suffering-- a life that would be foolish to live if there were no resurrection from the dead." (side note: resurrection is a game changer.)

 "Knowledge about Him will not do. Work for Him will not do. We must have personal, vital fellowship with Him; otherwise, Christianity becomes a joyless burden."
-- Amen and amen! No matter what I may do, it's nothing if it does not flow out of a life abiding in Christ and delighting in Him.

So there you go. I've been playing this song by Rend Collective a lot lately. He's more than we can imagine!