Musical Mongos

That’s what Xander calls the kids across the street. Mean I suppose, but I still can’t help but laugh when he tells me “The Musical Mongos are on parade!”. It’s that time of year again, when they workers at the special needs school across the street start putting their patients outside for a little sun and fresh air. After an entire winter of peace we are once again serenaded by the drum beating, whistle blowing, tamborine shaking children enjoying being in the outdoors. They are so cute really, they walk back and forth across the grass as if they are having their own little parade, sometimes they even dance. It’s funny to watch sometimes because they all want to be in front so they make sneak attacks on each other, swiftly moving to the front of the pack and making the most of it until someone else tries to pass them. If we wave at them from the window they get really wound up and play as if their lives depend on it. How they love an audience..

I’m debating what to do about my Dutch classes. It’s Monday now and classes start up again tomorrow, I’m already dreading it. The reason I started these classes was mainly to get over my fear of speaking the language in front of people. Learning the words has never been an issue, although before the classes I hardly bothered. What is getting to me is the method of teaching. What I want more than anything is to just sit in a class, have a teacher teach, and me learn. I keep saying this again and again.. and every day I go there and end up in some little roleplaying group speaking Dutch with people who don’t know any more than I do.. I want to scream. The same thing goes for this Microsoft Word thing they have us doing. It seems that this program is aimed more at the FOBS (Fresh Off the Boat) rather than people who are educated or even remotely computer literate. I don’t really feel challenged and when I’m in these classes I feel like someone has stuck me back in primary school again or something.

When I went to do my last set of exams I was quite worried. I was sure I was going to get slammed and would hardly pass, if I passed at all. For over a month I’d gone to class an average of twice a week, yet when I did the exams I was one of the highest in the class. It’s irrating to know that so little of what I do on these exams depends on me actually attending the classes. Part of me hoped I would do poorly so it would give me a kick in the ass and show me that I should be attending these classes more.. instill that “Oh yes I’ve learned my lesson, I’ll definately make more of an effort next term!” but uhh.. that hasn’t quite happened. The opposite, in fact.

I phoned another Canadian girl I know here, the one who told me about this program in the first place. She seemed so gung-ho about this program that it’s what made me want to start as well. When I phoned her, she said the exact things I complained about and said after the 2nd set of exams (which I just did) she didn’t even attend the classes. She decided to have a go at the NT2 exam (which is the final one we’d do at the end of the year) and she passed without even having done the rest of the course. When I asked her about it, she said that 9 chances out of 10 I’d be able to pass it as well with just the level I’m at now. What the hell?!

The problem is, these programs only exist for people who really need to be integrated. Who don’t speak English or Dutch and risk becoming a financial burden to the government here.. What I wonder is, where are the courses for people who ARE educated, DO speak English but still want to learn the language, but learn it properly!? Wherever that course is, that’s the one I need to be in.

On top of it all, there’s the travel issue. My travel IS paid for but it takes me 45 minutes to get to the place every day, which wasn’t an issue really during the winter.. but the thought of spending 1.5 hours per day stuffed in the trams and busses here in the summer?! GAAAAH! If I’m going to sweat to death I’d rather it be after a few minutes biking in the sun. At least then it’s only my own sweat I have to deal with. Gross..

I dunno what I’m going to do about this Dutch issue. I don’t have the fear of speaking it in front of people anymore so I could just use the Dutch books I have and teach myself, together with Xander. Hell at least then if I want to have conversations, it’s not pretend ones and it is with someone who can actually correct me when I’m saying things wrong. Not like the blind leading the blind as we have in class when we speak to each other.

I don’t want to quit though, I’ve quit so many things since I’ve come here that I know I’d just wonder what if I’d stuck with it..

Don’t know.. don’t know… grr.