The JOB, and a little about the fruit farm

Hello all--here is the grungy, long-awaited, world-anticipated details about my  JOB.  I teach six classes, roughly 25 students per class, which adds up to a helluva a lot of names (all in Malaysian, Chinese, or Indian pronunciations, with variations within each category).  Basically, I avoid names where possible:)  I teach four sections of an intermediate class, which ranges in skill level from Oh-my-God-you've-passed-a-test/class-in-English--I-don't-think-you-understand-a-word-I-say to
You've-mostly-got-the-hang-of-it--Thank-God-you're-here-too-so-I-don't-feel-like-I'm-teaching-deaf/mutes...  The upper level classes are noticeably better (though I still have some of the first type of students in those classes as well, though very very few), and I teach one section of a Humanities-oriented English class, and one section of a Medical/Scientific-oriented English class.  I find the Scientific articles much more interesting, as the Humanities text invariably draws some stupid, sappy story from Reader's Digest.  Who knew that Reader's Digest would be the one stupid element of American culture that I missed least?  I wasn't really aware of its existence until now, but it has become the bane of my reading world.  I'd rather not read than read Reader's Digest...  now that is an extreme statement!
 
A lot of the students are incredibly sweet; they say "thank you" after class, and "hello teacher" if they see me on campus.  I told them all on the first day to call me Marie, since Quasius doesn't translate well to English, let alone to 24 different native languages, but I don't think that a single one has yet, and I've become accustomed to being called "teacher."  I only have two kids who are really trying on the nerves, and they know what they're doing (English-wise), but tend to crack jokes in Chinese, so 3/4 of the class laughs (the Chinese kids), the Muslim and Hindu kids ignore him, and I give him my best rendition of the Leah Look.  (Leah, I bet you never knew how far that look was going to travel...)  They do tend to talk a lot in class, and I've tried to direct the talking towards me, or at least towards English (e.g. "If you're going to make a joke, make it in English so we can all appreciate it.").  Cheating?  Oh, it's a problem.  cheating = helping, and there's no good reason to not help your friends... or that guy sitting next to you who doesn't know a DAMN thing (about anything)... or that person two rows in front (Who cares if the world hears? It's not like it's supposed to be confidential, or... graded!)  I'm trying to rationalize it for them, as opposed to just being a Rambo-asshole teacher type ("Because I say so")... "I have no idea where you personally stand if I get the work of three people combined--you can't pack your friends into your wallet when you travel to the US or UK or Australia--they don't fit..." and "Why are you bothering to copy your friends' wrong answers? Write your own."
 
The bureaucracy here is frustrating to an extreme.  Soemtimes the office doesn't open on time.  Sometime Mr. Copy Man makes 18 copies instead of 22, for an in-class quiz, so I have to hike up the hill to the Dept. office to make FOUR copies.  Making phone calls?  Damn near impossible--I have to call the operator, who needs me to confirm like 4 times that this is an official call and not a personal call (last time, she didn't know my name, and called the Director's office to make sure that I was an employee).  The secretaries are super chilled out, which normally I would adore, except now it comes at my expense... the teachers all do crazy amounts of secretarial nonsense (collect money for books, re-write (by hand) all the registration forms--names, addresses, and biographical information for 150+ kids...can you eve comprehend how long, painful, and utterly mind-numbing that was???) 
 
I went to the library today, where they told me that I needed to bring my faculty ID card.  When I visited the ID card office last week, they told me that if I brought my library card, it would speed up the process of obtaining a faculty ID.  So apparently I get neither...?  I'm sure this is one of those "someday" deals.  'Someday' is pretty much the defining word for this country... someday the bus will come, someday the student textbooks will arrive (the latest word is that the missing 1,000 copies will be here soon, once they're printed).  Speaking of student textbooks, they're horrid.  Reprehensible.  Wait, I already did this rant.  sorry folks.
 
Oh, but the library... what a beautiful world! I found all of these wonderful books: literary studies of Virginia Woolf's works, and a legal casebook on Poverty, Inequality, and the Law which is marvelous thus far (also from 1972..., but at least it's from UCLA), and novels by and an autobiography of W. Somerset Maugham (_Willy_ !!!! I bet he'd be pissed if he ever came back to life and found out, especially as he was veyr resistant to having any biographies at all)  They also had The Economist, Science, Nature, a comparative literature journal (!!!!), and a journal of Ethnopharmacology (scientific studies on common folk medicines from different cultures)  It was heavenly.  I've got a three hour break between classes tomorrow and I'm looking forward to some quality reading.  This is assuming that I don't run into the guy who talked my ear off today while I tried to read the law book... he and his classmate are both teachers who are seeking bachelor's degrees because of a new government policy that says they need them by 2010.  He decided that I was going to be their personal English language consultant and asked for my email so I can come to group meetings and then gave me his phone and email so I can ask him questions if I need to.  Maybe I can set up a business editing papers?  My friend Jacob's sister is an editor at Cleo magazine (Malaysian women's magazine ~ Vogue, but not trampy, just concerned with hair, makeup, etc.), and I asked him to check into freelance editing for me.  I'm teaching <20 hours/ week, and need more to do, as working out every day is losing its charms (though swimming in the resort pool is quite nice...)
 
Well, back to correcting some papers:)  I feel almost like an official teacher!