Week 4...

This week there was another English camp...but this time it was full of 12 year olds. Again there were 32 of them, 16 boys and 16 girls. They were split up into 3 classes of 12. They seemed far more excited than the 15 year olds that came here last week. In fact, they wouldn't shut up from the moment they arrived.

On Monday I was granted permission to try out some of the ideas I had suggested during the meeting last week. I had wanted to say the whole set up was a complete disaster, and everyone was a complete bastrd, but I in fact ended up saying that I thought it was really good here and everyone was nice...but it could just maybe possibly do with a few minor little alterations. It was better to phrase it this way, as now I could begin to change things without everyone hating me. This week, I was allowed to change the 'ice breaker' activities, which had previously succeeded only in making the ice much thicker. Before, the activities only required the participation of 6 students at a time, while the rest watched. They were asked to do something they couldn't do and ended up looking like idiots in front of the other 30 students who they didn't know yet...and the others knew that it was soon to be their turn, and looked sad. For me, it made me wonder that if I pulled out my own teeth during these activities, it might be less painful than watching them.

Anyway, I tried out something different. Admittedly with 36 hyper 12 year olds who had already got to know each other while they were waiting for the foreign teachers to turn up, anything would have worked. The other foreign teachers sat and watched, with mad Korean/USA female and Big Friendly American Pete giving me looks that either said 'I hope this is a disaster' or 'I hope you die you bastrd'.

As I explained the activities, I began to think this could well be a disaster, as I had no idea if the kids had understood anything I said when I explained to them what they needed to do. I knew the others wanted it to fail, as they has all sat in stony silence during the explanation. Just before the activity began, Big Friendly American Pete came over to me and told me he doesn't think this is going to work. I thought he might be right, and thanked him for his support. I did get some help from a Korean teacher (not Mr. Yang) who explained a few of the details in Korean. I was holding my breath as it started, but to everyone's amazement, the kids got straight into it without any problem. This is what they had to do...

The kids began in groups of 3, with 2 of them making an arch (which was a house) and the third person under it (the person in the house). If I shouted out 'flood' - the person is washed out, and needs to find another house. If I shouted 'fire' then the 2 kids who were the house run off to find a new person. If I shouted 'twister', then they all had to run away and find new partners, forming a house with a person inside. The aim was to not to be left out as I had asked a couple of the Korean teachers to join in so there would be 2 people too many.

They were running around like crazy people, shrieking every time they had to move. I asked some of the foreign teachers to take part, mainly because I knew they didn't want to. But they obliged. Funny thing was that Big friendly American Pete got it all wrong, and didn't understand what he had to do. The kids had to show him. Made me chuckle (on the inside). Crazy USA/Korean female did refuse to take any part in the proceedings, but it didn't matter. The second activity worked well too, and by the end of it two of the foreign teachers had come over to me (including Big Friendly American Pete) and said that they were amazed at how well it had gone! That was good to hear, as if I can get BFA Pete on my side then few would argue with him - mainly because he is very loud, gets angry quickly, and swears a lot. He's American you know.

The lessons that week were identical to those taught to the 15 year olds...so the kids didn't understand a lot of it but as they were very active it didn't seem to matter. I still have to take part in BFA Pete's lesson where he dresses up as a doctor (and still really believes he is one). My job is to explain what medical insurance is to the 12 year olds, and get them to fill in fake medical insurance forms. It's utterly pointless and irrelevant to them, but I have to tread carefully, as Pete seems to like to dominate and thinks it's all 'very important'. I might have to wait until he leaves before I can change things. I found out that all the foreign teachers contracts end in December...and BFA Pete will probably leave. There is a danger though, that crazy Korean/USA female will stay. That's just not on, so I have 6 months to make sure she leaves, if she hasn't killed me by that time. The other two, Ellena and Jirad (I changed their names in case they ever read this) are definitely going to leave, mainly because they can't be arsed to stay.

On Thursday I had to visit the doctor again, as I needed to get a blood test to check my cholesterol. In the past I had a real phobia with needles, but seem to be getting over it now. I saw the doc, who asked me to go into the next room to have the needle stuck in me by the nurse. I had to walk past reception, and was followed into the room by the receptionist. There was no nurse there. I began to worry slightly when the receptionist took a syringe out of a packet and asked me to sit down. I think she was trying to act like a nurse, and wasn't doing a bad job...until it came to doing the deed. She found the vein in my arm, as she could hardly miss it - it was the size and length of the M6. I had to look away, and waited for the incredible pain, which actually only occurs in my imagination. I felt a little prick, and waited for the fountain pen sized serrated edged needle that had plunged down 3 inches into my arm to exit. It was to pull half my arm away as it came out (it turns out that this is all in my imagination - I think it every time). I waited for what seemed like flippin ages for the nurse to say it was all over. When she continued to stay silent, I assumed it was, and looked at my arm. Unfortunately the needle was still in it, empty, and the receptionist had let go of it! She had somehow missed the M6 vein completely. When she saw me look, she suddenly looked really, really sorry...and said sorry many times. She finally took it out, and looked to put it in again, but much higher up near my shoulder. The chances of her hitting a vein there were slim to none, and my mind had already decided that it would be incredibly painful there. Feeling sick, but knowing it had to be done, I suggested the other arm, and marked the spot for her. This time she found it, and it was over quickly. It didn't hurt at all (it never does), and I didn't cry. The nurse actor said sorry about 100 times more. She was quite sweet (well, for this city anyway (about 4.5 out of 10)) and so I acted out the role of a real man, making out it didn't matter to me at all.

This next week sees the return of that wonderful idea, 'The Travelling Circus Of Freaks', which will set off to some more poor schools with poor kids. We will bring them joy, happiness, and laughter. They will continue to laugh long after we have left, and talk about it for years, unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. Still no one realises this. The Smelly Cinderella show returns too, and I have already repeated the fact that I will not take part in it, as I do not feel I have the ability to come even close to the fine performances I have already seen. And also, I'm not putting on a dress, lipstick and fake boobs...and prancing around on a stage looking like the complete tit that everyone else does when they do it. I would rather spend the day with that actor nurse and let her practice her vein finding, with blunt needles.