Gypsyqueen My 2 weeks in India were great! We spent too much time in Delhi, trying to figure out how to get a return visa back to Saudi Arabia. We got wrong information, so at the last minute, I found out that I could go to the Embassy and apply for the reentry visa by myself. So, we did that on Wednesday, before my Thursday departure. Surprise! Surprise! They were kind to me, offered my coffee after going through a rigorous security check, and I got my reentry visa within one hour!!! I'm going to write the entry I made for the beginning of my 2 weeks in India. Feb.3, 2010 I got through the week ok. Today we got to leave at 12:30 instead of our 1:30, our usual departure time on Wednesdays. One of the girls took a photo while we were waiting at the gate, and within 2 minutes, there was our own Mutawah, confronting her about the photo. We figure one of the students told her. Molly spoke up and said she must have seen her I-touch, not a camera. The guard insisted it was a photo, but Molly talked her down. Just a reminder of who's in charge, they think, similar to our little closed off courtyard where we sit on the ground. The Mutawah has been around to remind us to keep our total legs and ankles covered. Now, we think they are watching and looking for trouble. There is jealousy among the other female workers: our wages are higher, we laugh and smile, we speak our minds, we ask questions, all of which are discouraged among the women in SA. It doesn't help that we have had nothing to do for 3 weeks, save proctor 3 tests. None of us has had the experience of living in a big open room all day, with nothing to do. Most teachers are not office creatures. We are used to having our classroom where we are basically in charge. We are not used to living in a fishbowl, being micromanaged. Next semester, I have a new teaching assignment. Six of us will be teaching in the Teaching Assistants' Program, The students are graduates, with Bachelor's and Masters degrees, who plan on studying and living in Western countries.Our job is to improve their ENglish skills and give them an idea of Western culture. |