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Apr. 1st, 2003 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jdmkleinWe had a siren go off today during classes. We'd had a drill on Sunday, but one of the teachers got all unwound today. She was up my nose, and on the phone to the Assistant Admin. Director giving him seventeen kinds of hell. Long story short, to placate her, she got what she wanted a tv and a key. The tv runs on 110 and has a two pronged plug. I haven't checked but I'm guessing it is also ntsc. Kuwait has 220 electricity, the tv system is pal and has three pronged plugs. So we don't know if it works yet. As I remember it, we may have been given a tv with a built in video player. And all it is is a monitor and we won't be able to get the local television station anyway.
To top it all off, I've been accused of being too nice, read doormat. That with 'these' people you have to get angry and pound your fist to get anything done. I prefer to be persistent. The end result is the same but my way I get to maintain my dignity. And when I get what I ask for, it works, it's exactly what I want. I can hardly wait for tomorrow morning when she finds out what we have been given. I'm sure the Assistant Admin didn't do it on purpose. He probably just said 'get them a tv' and that's what was done.
We took the camera to the desert today and got some very good video of camels. We couldn't stay too long because Max, Running Dog of the Desert was antsy to get out and get running. We got maybe 2 minutes and some of it is camels walking straight toward us.
We ate out on the patio again tonight. We saw a large number of planes coming into Kuwait. They were flying right over our house. We also saw a fighter jet going back to the boat. It was much higher up in the air, moving much faster. In the space of about 10 minutes we saw at least 5 planes coming in country.
I've had many students come into my office. Just to see how I'm doing. Even kids who weren't even my students. They just want to see how I'm doing. How can I leave kids who are so concerned about me? They bend over backwards to assure me I am in no danger here. These are kids who were 5-8 years old twelve years ago during the first gulf war. They lived through it. They are truly frightened when the sirens go off. Their minds aren't on their studies. How can they be? They remember what happened to relatives who were sent to Baghdad to be used as human shields. I have two students whose father's are still considered prisoners of war. Several whose father's are MIA. I have to keep my spirits up for these kids.
Tomorrow is virtual Friday. It hasn't come soon enough.
To top it all off, I've been accused of being too nice, read doormat. That with 'these' people you have to get angry and pound your fist to get anything done. I prefer to be persistent. The end result is the same but my way I get to maintain my dignity. And when I get what I ask for, it works, it's exactly what I want. I can hardly wait for tomorrow morning when she finds out what we have been given. I'm sure the Assistant Admin didn't do it on purpose. He probably just said 'get them a tv' and that's what was done.
We took the camera to the desert today and got some very good video of camels. We couldn't stay too long because Max, Running Dog of the Desert was antsy to get out and get running. We got maybe 2 minutes and some of it is camels walking straight toward us.
We ate out on the patio again tonight. We saw a large number of planes coming into Kuwait. They were flying right over our house. We also saw a fighter jet going back to the boat. It was much higher up in the air, moving much faster. In the space of about 10 minutes we saw at least 5 planes coming in country.
I've had many students come into my office. Just to see how I'm doing. Even kids who weren't even my students. They just want to see how I'm doing. How can I leave kids who are so concerned about me? They bend over backwards to assure me I am in no danger here. These are kids who were 5-8 years old twelve years ago during the first gulf war. They lived through it. They are truly frightened when the sirens go off. Their minds aren't on their studies. How can they be? They remember what happened to relatives who were sent to Baghdad to be used as human shields. I have two students whose father's are still considered prisoners of war. Several whose father's are MIA. I have to keep my spirits up for these kids.
Tomorrow is virtual Friday. It hasn't come soon enough.
