Adjusting to the new work place is not as smooth as I hoped it would be but I’m getting there. The students here remind me a lot of the students I used to have back in the Philippines. The office, however, is a far cry from before. Although the space is also air-conditioned, it is significantly smaller than  the previous one I went to. But the staples office furniture, the decors, and the bulletin boards are surprisingly familiar. Maybe because the two campuses get their supplies from the same place. I’m not entirely sure.

Anyway, everything seems okay and everything seems to be going pretty smoothly except for the paperwork. Since I’m basically left to fend for myself, I had to start from scratch and work from the bottom up. Hopefully, in a few more weeks, I’ll be able to catch up. I’m not losing hope! hehe!

During a casual conversation with friends, the topic of having more babies was brought up. I brushed the idea aside jokingly by saying, I think two is enough for us. So we all laughed.

Some were of the same opinion. Others weren’t. Those who weren’t said more was always better, more cheerful, more fun. I understand their point. However, economy nowadays demand more, so much more, from way before.

Aside from the fact that job requirements are getting steeper and steeper, usual daily needs are also becoming more and more expensive. Plus, there’s the tuition, the school supplies and materials, and even their toys.

In fact, during our time, we make most of the toys we play. We construct them from materials we find in our backyard or in any place with lots of scraps. Now, most toys are bought, made to pass safety ratings, and overpriced.

We didn’t have NBA Live. We played tag or basketball. We didn’t have duncan yoyos. We made our own wooden yoyos. We didn’t have internet gaming. We baseball or soccer. Yes, we got scrapes, bruises, and sometimes even the occasional infections. But we survived.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the environment now. Infections and scarier and deadlier. Materials are carcinogenic. And everything is way more expensive.

So, I’ll stick to our choice. 2 is enough for us.

January 2012 has almost to drawn to a close. With 3 weeks of taste of the secondary life, I have learned quite a lot of things from my students here in my new school.

1. Students here in Brunei, despite being composed of a great mix of races – Malaysians, Bruneians, Indians, Koreans, Thais, Sri Lankans, Arabians, and Egyptians – are not so different from the students I had back home. They are as rowdy, as hormone-driven, and as witty as the batches of high school students I have handled in the Philippines.
2. Religion may play a big influence on their lives, yes, but it is not enough to significantly make a difference in the dynamics of a high school class.
3. They get more stubborn with age. Well, I think this one is pretty universal anyway, and goes way past high school age too.

So far so good. Here’s too adjusting a bit to the not so new things! Acid cigars anyone?

New levels… new kids… new load.

Yes, finally made it to secondary school. I’ve been wishing the whole year (last year) to be reassigned to the age group I’m more familiar with. Thankfully I got my wish this year, although not without sacrifices.

First, the school is a considerable distance farther from the previous. It’s impractical to walk to and from home. And with the tropical sun making things worse, there’s no way I would even try. Plus, since it’s farther, I need to wake up earlier and ride the 6AM service trip to get to school. (There goes my 630 wake-up habit)

Second, it’s a new crowd, with new rules, and new systems. The group I spent the whole year getting to know, I don’t even see anymore. And the system I have gotten used to, now scrapped. It’s like starting from scratch with everybody. Thankfully, the Pinoys there are also accommodating so they’ve been a steady support.

Unlike the more Filipino-dominated group in the primary level, the more prominent group in the secondary level is made up of Indians. Our overall supervisor is Indian, my immediate supervisor is also Indian. Discipline head is also Indian. But, so far, things are still pretty much okay. I haven’t had any problems with them. And if everyone in that group is pretty much like the ones I knew in the primary level, then I’m looking forward to getting to know them to too.

The kids, on the other hand, are rowdier, more opinionated, hormonal, but are still as engaging as I remember (from the time I taught HS in Pinas). They’re also more versed in English so discussing lessons with them is SO MUCH easier. Although, we haven’t had any tests yet…. we’ll see….

It’s still a good start though. I wish for smooth sailing the whole way… or at least less trouble on the horizon. Hopefully….