finding my purpose at UMAC

40 of my UMAC kids on field trip

My first impressions of University of Macau were definitely not impressive. The program seemed a bit unorganized. Being the first year that they had Fulbright at the university, nobody really knew what to do with us...not even my boss, which was a bit discouraging. I was already fed up with 'training' in HK and wanted to quickly jump on board at the English Language Center and start some real work. Its funny how I've only been away from work for about two months but I already can't stand not having any structure or purpose to my days.

During the staff meeting, I met with my teacher that I would be paired up with for the semester. I was suprised to find that Zoe was the exact same age as me and she only had one year of English teaching experience. I quickly understood why they paired us together. With my past teaching experience and work with children, Kim, my boss, wanted us to support each other in the classroom. After our first meeting, we decided that instead of me acting as a teaching assistant in the classroom I would be more of a co-teacher and take on responsibilities for teaching the entire class for two days during the week. I'm glad that I can help Zoe's workload in the classroom and gain valuable teaching experience for when I return to the US. My only issue is that I can't really use Zoe as a teaching resource where I can gain instructional strategies and lesson ideas that I can bring into my future classroom. She only has one year of English teaching experience and is also new to UMAC, so she is mostly just going with the flow...For most of the first week and half, we did not go into any kind of formal curriculum, which is bit unusual for a university class. From watching Zoe run in her class, I would probably do some things differently. Zoe likes to be the students friends and really try to relate to the students, which is definitely important but not THE most important aspect of the class. Students need to respect you as a teacher and you must control the class in order for learning to take place. When I see students talking during class when others are presenting, I would immediately silence them out of respect but Zoe just allows them to continue chatting. Its really hard for me to bite my tongue and allow them to just keep talking, but I have to remember its not my class.....

Also being new to English teaching, I wish that I could have a more experienced teacher who could help me ulitize the materials properly and assist me with lesson plans. Since I am on my on for the most part, I'm happy that I have control over what I want to teach and how I want to teach it....but I do wish for some guidance since I've never taught English as a second language before. I'm not sure how we go about presenting English to the students and how we deal with the individual student differences in language ability, but I guess Zoe and I will just learn as we go along.

For this semester, Zoe and I will be teaching four classes together. One class is a remedial first year class for students who have not passed the English test. The other three classes are introductory English classes for first years as well. Once I began teaching, I finally realized my purpose during my year here in UMAC - to teach and work with these students, convey my knowledge of english, and build my teaching skills. I waited one whole month to finally start what I initially came here for and it feels good:)

Outside of my teaching duties, my colleagues and I also run an English table where for two hours every day we speak to Chinese students that want to practice. The students range in ability. I would think that just speaking English would be a pretty easy task but I was surprised to find how difficult it is. You must focus all your attention on 1-3 students at time who all speak English as a second language. It sometimes difficult to interpret their words so you have to listen very closely. Also speaking very slowly and deliberately is also difficult. To enunciate every single syllable is sooo tiring because its so unnatural to speak in that manner. At times you just want to speak to a native speaker. After the two hours you do feel that you have helped the handful of students you spoke with. Some students the conversation does flow naturally but sometimes you struggle to maintain a conversation because of their lack of vocabulary. I'm excited to see that a number of my students from class have come to the English table and our proactive about their learning.

I was pleased to see that most of my students were very excited to learn and practice their English. Of course some more than others are willing to speak in class. The students are very very nice and they are always excited to say hi to me around campus. In the classroom, the students who are more outspoken always stand out in my mind. I worry for the quieter students; I do try to engage them in class and encourage them to at least speak in small group discussion. My outstanding students truly are amazing in their ability to convey their ideas in English. One student, Sichelle, can probably be a teacher because of her natural ability when presenting to the class.

Mainland boys from my intro class

L to R: Jessica, Katherine, Amethy, Bandy

Having fun at McD's - L to R: Tow, Michael, Andi

There are interesting classroom dynamics as well. Most of my students are from the mainland. Those from Macau often sit and talk to each other in class and do not often interact with the mainland students. Also, my remedial class is almost all Macanese students. After speaking with Henry, our local buddy, he finds that the local Macau school system is faulty because they teach all their students in Chinese till 12th grade but then expect them to attend all English speaking universities in Macau. What's worse is that at the university students who do not pass the English exam are forced into the Chinese major and do not have any other option to be in other fields, such as business or law:(

My remedial class is probably my most challenging class. I would guess the students only understand 30-40% of what I'm saying. Without any kind of Chinese ability, I feel at a loss to communicate with them. Some students are able to converse in English, but others have trouble just introducing themselves and saying where they are from and what they like to do. I've never had this many ESL students before with such a low level of English. When teaching, I struggle to get them involved. During whole class discussions, they just look at me with either confused or blank stares. Then during small groups, they just speak in Chinese the entire time. Actually in this class all I hear is Chinese except for when Zoe and I speak. Even when they speak to us, they sometimes speak in Chinese when they can't think of the correct English word. The class is also soooo quiet when we aren't directly asking them questions. We just don't know how to break the ice with the group. They do enjoy talking about what they like to do for fun, but its hard to get them engaged in the actual curriculum.

The boys of my remedial English class - David, Michael, Andi, and Jericho

the girls of the class - Bear, Shirley, Hebe, Aya, Sarah

Enjoying her french fires - Shirley and Hebe

the boys being funny in the back - girls L to R: Ella, Iris, Echo, Leng

L to R: Ivy, Hebe, Aya, Connie

As for the students in the class, there are some students who clearly stand out. Michael is the natural born leader, who is a confident smooth talker that is a bit lazy in the classroom. Hebe is the energizer bunny of the class. She is peppy and fun, but definitely struggles with her English vocabulary and grammar. Echo is the overachiever in the class. She can clearly understand most spoken English and has the best writing in the class. I'm not sure why she is placed at such a low level. Aya, our exchange student from Japan, definitely struggles to speak any English at all. Everytime I speak to her she just smiles at me blankly and doesn't respond. Although she is cute as a button, she is probably the student who is the most behind in her English. Bear is tiny girl with a tiny voice. Leng was quiet at the beginning of the course but is getting more confident as she speaks more English. David is my sassy student who finishes assignments in two minutes and is confident to speak despite his mistakes. Because this is one of the greatest teaching challenges I've ever had, I'm excited to see how the semester progresses. With practice and hard work, I hope to see great improvements with these students...only time will tell.

Reflections on the Filipinos in HK

When first coming to HK and Macau, the overabundance of Filipino people and sounds of Tagalog were astonishing. On any given train or bus, you can hear Tagalog spoken, which is amazing for a country that is 90% Chinese. On weekends, hundreds of Filipino domestic helpers gather around Central station and 'picnic' on the streets of downtown Hong Kong. They sing songs, dance, and gossip about the latest filipino celebrities. It is easy for one to assume Filipinos are probably one of the highest minority groups in this area. Of course, I knew before coming here that there would be quite a few Filipinos but I never guessed that their presence would be so large in both countries.

What bothers me is why they are here. In HK, the vast majority of them are domestic helpers, and thus almost 99% female. The use of domestic helpers is so common that not having a helper in your household is somewhat looked down upon in this society. Of course, with the inevitable rat race in HK, one must do whatever it takes to 'keep up with the Jones'. If that means getting a helper, than you are getting a helper, even when the wife doesn't work. I find it incredible that women who do not work still need to hire a person to take care of their children. I always believed that if you were wealthy enough to not work than your only responsibility in life would be to care for the children. In most instances though,both parents are caught up in the strenuous work schedules of corporate HK, where commonly people work 8-8 on an 'easy' day. What then happens is these helpers are live in maids and nannies for the households.

Children tend to grow very attached to their nannies since they were raised by them since they were infants. The helpers become the child's only source of attention and affection. If I were a parent, I would struggle with the thoughts that a nanny had a stronger relationship with my own child. What gets tricky is when parents do not allow the helpers to discipline the children, which of course leads to them becoming spoiled and unmanageable. I myself witnessed a young child's tantrum in a bookstore, while a helper just watched quietly till they were tired of screaming and crying. In addition, what amazes me is when the mother goes out with the children but needs to still bring along the helper for the outing. This demonstrates just how helpless these parents are to handle their own children. I feel that the disattachment to their children and inability to adequately handle them can be a possible contributing factor to why families tend to send their children abroad for studies.

It does slightly irritate me that Filipinos hold such a lowly status in HK and Macau, especially when coming from America when most Filipino households hold professional, middle class jobs. In retrospect, most people who can afford to move to America must have the means to survive in a relatively expensive society. Therefore most are college educated and hold professional degrees. Those that must seek helper positions in HK and Macau probably do not have the education or the means to find a professional job in the PI. In addition, the helper culture is also ingrained in PI, where most middle class households have 1-2 maids. I guess the economy must be salvaged and the politics of PI must be uncorrupted in order to eliminate the need for the lower class individuals to work abroad in menial positions. I guess it can always go back to economics; if the job market in PI can not sustain an uneducated workforce, those individuals are pushed out into other job markets that offer more attractive salaries. The Filipinos who come to HK and Macau are in search of financial stability and a means to support their families at home. Who am I to judge, when I've never had to face the struggles they have endured...

the search for home...in macau

Senado Square with Fulbrighters

Colonial Past meets Consumerism

After reading all the travel books and looking at all the pictures, I've finally been able to see most of the sights in Macau. Of course the most famous place is Senado Square in the heart of the Macau Peninsula. When visiting for the first time, you truly feel like you are in Europe (minus the 1000s of Chinese people everywhere). The 400 year old Portuguese buildings are reminiscent of time and place when Macau was a sleepy European colony. Before a time of billion dollar casinos and glizty neon signs, Macau was a quiet town, where locals strolled the plazas on lazy afternoons. Life was slow and easy. To this day, some Macau locals observe siesta, which is probably the BEST tradition ever created by the Spanish. Just imagine how much more productive your day would be if you were able to go home from 12-3 and have lunch and nap before you return to work. During the blistering hot days in Macau, you don't even want to be outside during that time in the afternoon anyways.

Santo Domingo Church

The influence of the Portuguese is also seen in the strong Catholic presence in Macau. There are a number of small Catholic churches spread throughout the peninsula. Also an astonishing number of Macanese students attend Catholic schools for both primary and secondary levels. Though I may not be the most avid churchgoer, the Catholic presence here is reassuring in a strange way. The churches remind me of home and my Filipino culture, which is forever ingrained with Catholicism. In addition, the number of Catholic schools around the city bring me back to my own upbringing at the giant pink church on Judah. Being away from the states, you are constantly looking for anything and everything that can remind you about home...the mcdonalds down the street, the cheerios sold at the supermarket, the hagaan daaz shops all over town. All of these things are simple reminders of home which ease your mind and help fight the homesickness. For me, the catholic influence seen throughout the macau peninsula is what helps me keep my peace of mind on this whirlwind of a journey. I made this decision to come abroad so I could experience a new culture, learn a new language, and simply broaden my cultural prespective. Now that I've finally settled here, I, strangly enough, am grapling to always find something to bring me back home...even for just a moment.