Monday, July 26, 2010

let me stop

also 9/26/2002:

1/3 of infected people in Cameroon are young...

Students let's STOP the spread of HIV/AIDS:
ABSTINENCE
FIDELITY
CONDOMS

-individual student presentations
-modes of transmission (Charles and Manka')
-prevention strategies (Loveline and Hyacinth)
-"re-investment" activity (Mohamad)


...so, this HIV/AIDS presentation during our seminar had to be altered again. of course the school's admin, with their myopia and poor planning, neglected to consider giving us a break in the schedule during the seminar. from 8am to 3pm we were at it. just like Monday. just like yesterday. zero planning. zero efficiency. let me stop... again, i'm bitter.

we scrapped 3/4 of the program. just had the students read/present their entries. which went well. the students read well. they were heckled a little. the VP – sleazy bastard – sarcastically asks "you use condoms?" Mr. Kum Abraham then stupidly parrots him and asks "you have gonorrhea?" immature, inconsiderate and unprofessional pricks.

i about called them out individually. just couldn't believe they were doing that to our students! instead, i kindly asked teachers to refrain from commenting and to be serious about the topic. they were like children! the change in behavior from the seminar to our presentation was disgusting. but let me stop.

i shot a glance at Paul as the VP was making a comment. just eye contact. too telling. it just takes one for a support network. so i bit my tongue and sat down. pick your battles, i guess. we met afterward and debriefed with the presenters. i spoke then. asked the teachers (not pointing anyone out, but they knew) to be careful with our students. it's a cheap shot when someone is vulnerable. especially your student. i was indirectly direct. but i said my part. again, let me stop.

a handful of people (even Kum) congratulated me on a job well done. sympathy? sincerity? whatever... Paul bought me a drink. the rain fell. i'm home now. thinking about anger, frustration, release, apathy, loss and loneliness. let me stop.

1 comment:

  1. a word or two about the anger and frustration in this post. i certainly had to release, but doing so in my journal while in camerooon is very different than posting it to this blog. with names and all.

    i suppose part of me doesn't mind naming those teachers' names. part of me still felt a tinge of the same emotions as i re-read my journal entry as when i first penned it. i have to admit that i still felt some satisfaction in lashing out against the VP and Kum by simply re-typing the words above.

    i don't know or don't think that all of that is good. neither was what they did, of course. but i'm trying to hold my self to a higher standard than those two. so i wonder what that would look like? even in the context of the journal entry above.

    i'm glad the rain fell.

    peace
    mohamad

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