My life story

[HoreTore]

It's written by someone with around 3 years of english, so one has to put some effort into making sense of it.

I'm teaching english in Tanzania now. This was the text I got from one of my students after asking them to write about a day in their life, or an important event in their life(just to check their english level).

As I understand it, his mother went ill some time ago. She then told him to find his father, who left her when she was pregnant, as there were noone else who could take care of him. Apparently, he did not find him, and now lives alone with no friends in a place far from where he grew up. His mother appears to be dead, and he was not around when she died. She probably died alone. I believe he lives in a kind of orphanage run by the foundation I'm working for, I will try to find that out tomorrow.

The lyrical intro and the hope for the future in the last sentence(where they were told to state what they wanted to learn about in the next 3 weeks) really makes this text get me.

[Centurion1]

I like the name Patrick.

[Hooahguy]

I like the name Patrick.

Of course.

[Fragony]

That wasn't written by someone who has 3 years of English, someone is bullshitting you

[HoreTore]

That wasn't written by someone who has 3 years of English, someone is bullshitting you

Swahili and English has the same structure, so it's easier for them than for us. Also, I've touched it upalittle, to make the most confusing parts (a lot) clearer.

And yeah, he has had 3 years of (proper) english. They start having education in english in the grade Form I, he's in Form III. They're supposed to know english when they start Form I, but the english education in primary school is crap, to say the least. I know, I've also had students from the last year in primary school(the grade before Form I), and they can't even write sentences. An example of the same assignment written by one of those students:

Name is Sakina. Name of school Hodmwahako. School Tanga.
Name Sakina Class six. School teacher. English.

Quite typical of that grade.... About the same as the first six months of english in Norway, I'd say.

[Fragony]

Swahili and English has the same structure, so it's easier for them than for us. Also, I've touched it upalittle, to make the most confusing parts (a lot) clearer.

And yeah, he has had 3 years of (proper) english. They start having education in english in the grade Form I, he's in Form III. They're supposed to know english when they start Form I, but the english education in primary school is crap, to say the least. I know, I've also had students from the last year in primary school(the grade before Form I), and they can't even write sentences. An example of the same assignment written by one of those students:

Name is Sakina. Name of school Hodmwahako. School Tanga.
Name Sakina Class six. School teacher. English.

Quite typical of that grade.... About the same as the first six months of english in Norway, I'd say.

This has Nigeria scam all over it Horetore, don't fall for it.

[HoreTore]

This has Nigeria scam all over it Horetore, don't fall for it.

Nigeria scam?

I was in the same room, frags. I'm his teacher. This isn't a mail I got, this is written on a piece of paper I gave to him

I'll try to find out tomorrow if he's staying at one of the "family orphanages" run by the same foundation I work for. If so, he'll have a very good shot at a good life. If not, well, judging from his english, his academic performance looks good enough to take care of him anyway.

[Fragony]

Nigeria scam?

I was in the same room, frags. I'm his teacher. This isn't a mail I got, this is written on a piece of paper I gave to him

I'll try to find out tomorrow if he's staying at one of the "family orphanages" run by the same foundation I work for. If so, he'll have a very good shot at a good life. If not, well, judging from his english, his academic performance looks good enough to take care of him anyway.

Who said he wrote that himself, just trying to protect you mia muca, you are being scammed.

[HoreTore]

Who said he wrote that himself, just trying to protect you mia muca, you are being scammed.

I'm saying he did, since I watched him write it.

You're way too sceptical, frags. And I fail to see how I'm scammed. At least half of my students are orphans, that's a known fact. Meaning that half my class comes from the orphanages run by the same foundation who employs me. In addition to those, there may be more orphans living in other places.

[rory_20_uk]

Thank you for sharing the world is often a bad place. I had no idea!

Best in future to follow Backroom rules and post a point of view on these things. Or not at all...

[Furunculus]

I'm teaching english in Tanzania now.

congrats, a very worthwhile job!

exactly what my dad did in malawi, and, in consequence, how i came to spend six years of my childhood there.

[HoreTore]

congrats, a very worthwhile job!

exactly what my dad did in malawi, and, in consequence, how i came to spend six years of my childhood there.

It's just for a month right now. Kinda like an introduction, to see if I can cope.

As I'm simply loving it, I'd say it's very, very likely that I will work here for a full year in 2013. And after that, who knows...

Who employed your father, by the way? A charity, a government school or a private school?

[Furunculus]

glad to hear it.

not surprised, M&D only came back because i got to an age where the only option was boarding school.

kamuzu akademy, my ex-neighbour still runs the gaff.

[HoreTore]

glad to hear it.

not surprised, M&D only came back because i got to an age where the only option was boarding school.

kamuzu akademy, my ex-neighbour still runs the gaff.

Checked it out, and it looks good. Ticc, the foundation I'm working for, can only employ people for a maximum of three months(due to a number of issues), so I'll need to find someone else if I want a full year(or longer). I think I'm going to stay on the east coast though. Zanzibar would be awesome. I also have a standing offer to coach a second division team there, in a village called Jambiani. That's a big bonus

[Furunculus]

Checked it out, and it looks good. Ticc, the foundation I'm working for, can only employ people for a maximum of three months(due to a number of issues), so I'll need to find someone else if I want a full year(or longer). I think I'm going to stay on the east coast though. Zanzibar would be awesome. I also have a standing offer to coach a second division team there, in a village called Jambiani. That's a big bonus

good luck, it will surely be an experience.

[HopAlongBunny]

Wow! Great stuff!!!

I did some ESL work here with elementary school kids; very rewarding. This sounds an "order of magnitude" cooler :)

Good luck with the job and placement.