Hi all
You haven't had anything from yr hbl scribe for a couple of weeks so I thought I'd best bring you up to date. Believe it or not, things have settled into somewhat of a routine: we get picked up around 8am by the driver for the 45 minute drive to CIIS. Typically we'd stop next to pick up Gurpreet along the way; occasionally we take a side trip to pick up Kunal before Gurpreet. We arrive at CIIS, I go to my office (aka my cabin as they say here) and . . . In reviewing my daytimer where I jot notes each day, I find the following snippets taken from several days' worth:
- WWICS Branch training in Chandigarh followed by student counselling sessions (waste of time).
- Join Harpreet and Amandeep for discussions regarding further College tie-ups.
- Counsel student regarding Georgian Precision Skills program.
- Complete Hansi's Visa on-line application and gather required docs in folder; book appointment for Hansi at BLS in Brampton for Visa application.
- Locate course materials for classes I'm teaching this Fall: Pooja, Shweta, Vivek. NO textbooks?? What did they use here?
- Meet Col Randev regarding my contract problem (ie. they can't find my signed copy).
- Sat in on IELTS student skits: Teams of 5 students improvised a commercial "Sell a cell phone". Hilarious, glad I took the time.
- Pre-departure orientation session for students going to Canada this Fall: discussions with Gurpreet, Monica and Ameen.
- (Ed note: this session takes place before the main ceremonies on Investiture Day, Aug 1. Students are presented with certificates, visa documents, plaques etc. Basically a celebration of their completion of year one of a Canadian program and getting their visa to go to Canada to complete their degree/diploma. I was tasked with revamping this session which was basically a PowerPoint presentation containing 53 slides of dense text - a one hour, very boring session in which students were told what to pack, documents required, immigration rules etc etc etc in nauseating detail.)
- Revise pre-departure orientation completely and get approval for new plan.
- (Ed note: created a one-page checklist and three 5 minute presentations "What happens when you land in Canada?". One session for each of Vancouver (Kamloops bound Thompson River University students), Regina (SIAST students bound for Moosejaw) and Toronto (Georgian students bound for Barrie). This to be followed by a Canada/checklist quiz with fun prizes.)
- Ludhiana seminar trip; 6 students showed, 2 possible candidates whose English was very good.
- Monica feeling ill: Gurpreet will take her to family doctor.
- Family doctor diagnoses bacterial infection (bowel) from eating something; prescribes antibiotics, muscle relaxant for slight cramping and bland food.
- Finish up pre-departure stuff for final printing.
- Proposal for pre-departure sessions to be a 3-hour course each spring. Students to be teamed (groups of 5) to put on skits regarding checklist items to make it fun and force them to read through the checklist. Accepted.
- Locate textbooks for courses this Fall: got them from Vivek. Also got materials used by faculty last few times - not much there. Need plan for student materials - this weekend.
As you can see, these are sort of your typical kind of workdays in a college - except I'm in India which makes all the difference, believe me. I can't help but think about the impression a tourist would get of this country compared to mine - working with people day by day and sharing in family matters, jokes, frustrations and so forth brings home our similarities with a resounding "Hunh!" Tourists can't get the sense of the country that I get when I'm travelling: stopping for breakfast or lunch at a Dhaba, watching life in India pass by as we tour. Or, interacting with non-English speaking storekeepers and trying to explain a four-plug power bar to plug in the TV as well as the digital converter on a single wall outlet, being greeted by shopkeepers where we buy our sundries, being recognized by the street vendors outside the shops (they don't stare quite so goggle-eyed at the farenghis). Frankly it's starting to feel very much like my 'hood. (Even the bull strolling past the apartment!)
No comments:
Post a Comment