Well, at last we are on line again. No more searching for Cyber-cafes or booking library internet access. There is only one service provider in Brunei. Apparently it works most of the time, though there are some problems with the phone line in this part of the country so we have to expect breakdowns and slow periods.
We had a good flight on Brunei airlines and were met at the airport by staff from CfBT, the company which employs foreign teachers for Brunei schools. We had our first brush with the bureaucracy when the immigration officer could not find a record of our visas on his computer, though they were in our passports. Eventually we were allowed through, and I'm sure the fact that there were CfBT people waiting for us helped here. We later found that the other teachers had similar problems getting through immigration.
For the Orientation period, we shared a house (and car) with a teacher called Don, whose wife and children will be joining him in December. He was originally from Northern Ireland, but has lived in Australia for several years. He actually had a chance to teach in Brunei in the days when they flew teachers out first class and paid them enormous salaries, but opted to teach in Columbia instead, because his wife is Mexican and would feel more at home in a Spanish-speaking environment. After he arrived the peso promptly collapsed, cutting his salary in half so it was a pretty disastrous experience financially. He has also worked in the Middle East but Asia is new to him so it was handy that we were around to introduce him to local food and customs.
Teachers coming here with children are normally given a school in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city, as they will normally go to the International School. So the house we stayed in would be Don's permanent home after we left to go "outstation". It is a huge two-storey place, quite new, with lots of ceiling fans and three air-conditioners, but he was disappointed with the number of bedrooms. Although the house is very big, there are only three bedrooms upstairs, as the master bedroom (where we stayed) is large enough to hold a banquet in. Similarly, the living area downstairs is a vast open area, which we thought was wonderful, but he thought was a waste of space. He has three children coming, who would, of course, like a room each. He can use the downstairs maid's room (which has an en-suite) as a fourth bedroom, but then he is left without a room for guests. In the meantime, he is now all alone in this huge house.
We had a very intensive three-day orientation, which is normally done over a two-week period because a lot more teachers start at the beginning of the year. There were nine of us altogether, including one primary teacher. We (and two other teachers) have been posted to Kuala Belait, two were sent to Tutong, which is between the capital and KB, and, fortunately, nobody was sent to Temburong, a remote part of Brunei accessible only by boat (or a long trip through Sarawak.)
KB seems to be considered the most desirable posting in Brunei, and people told us it would be their first choice if it wasn't for their children's education. There is a large expatriate community, mainly working for Shell, and the area is much more compact and easy to get around in, and the way of life (and teaching) is more relaxed here. Our house is an older double-storey place in an estate made up of similar houses. Unlike our temporary house, there are no fences around the property, which seemed strange at first. Some people have put up their own, but in general the whole compound is open. Apparently the landlord (who we don't deal with directly - it is all through CfBT) is not very cooperative and a lot of people in the area have moved out. We have met Tania, living in the same street, a primary teacher who has only been here for a term. Her house is a mirror image of ours but she is not using the upstairs part at all. She has already arranged to move to another very nice single-storey house when someone leaves at the end of the year, where the landlord has provided extras like a washing machine, etc. We may have the same option later, but we actually quite like this place, despite the deficiencies. There are no ceiling fans, but we have been given two very powerful stand-up fans. There is a very good air-conditioner in the living room and another upstairs in the main bedroom, though we don't use them a lot of the time. The toilets here all seem to flush properly, which was not the case in our first house, and there is a lot of storage space - plenty of built-in robes and bookcases. It is not quite as big as the house in Bandar, but the space is used more effectively. Two spare bedrooms, one with a double bed, one with a single, so we hope we get some visitors who will make use of them.
These houses used to be owned by the Shell Company, who maintained them properly. Now they are not maintained and will gradually deteriorate, but at present they are still quite nice. Apparently the whole area is prone to flooding during the rainy season, especially as the storm drains are not cleared properly.
My school is Anthony Abell College (AAC), one of the oldest schools in Brunei, and it looks it. As buildings here tend not to be maintained, the school is just about falling apart, but it is all being rebuilt, and should be very comfortable when completed. Because of this, there are two sessions, which is not common in Brunei. I am in the afternoon session, which is a new experience for me. The students here are not highly motivated even under normal circumstances, and even less so by five o'clock in the afternoon.
I had a choice between teaching upper level classes in the morning or Form 1 in the afternoon. I actually chose the afternoon session, as I would have to start with Form 1 next year anyway. We follow our classes all the way up to final year (assuming we stay long enough). I have to spend some time initially getting my record book in order. We have been told that we will be judged by our record book and our appearance (long sleeve shirt and tie, etc.) rather than what we actually do in the classroom. I have three Form 1 classes, which is also a new experience for me. I have each class for three double periods a week, and two reading periods. That makes twenty periods, so half my week is free time. I can easily complete all marking and lesson preparation during the working day. Of course I do get some relief lessons, and next year, when I follow my three classes up to Form Two, I will probably get an extra Form Two class of repeat students, who will not be allowed to attempt Form Three, which is an important exam year.
One disadvantage in Brunei is that we don't get the number of holidays that we got in Singapore (or Australia). We get two weeks between the three terms and only three weeks at the end of the year. Normally it is four, but this year and next it is only three because of the timing of Ramadan. There are also several holidays but some of these can be changed or cancelled at the last minute as they are dependant on the sighting of the moon. The strangest thing is the weekends, which are made up of Friday and Sunday, with Saturday as a working day in between. In fact, Saturday will be my heaviest day as it is the only time I have all three classes. On the other hand, another ex-pat teacher at the school had a look at my timetable and told me I'm on an extended holiday. I think he may be right. It will be very different from Singapore. Although we are officially meant to do Extra Curricular Activities, in practice this doesn't happen because of the lack of space. My working hours really are 12:30 to 5:30, with enough time during that period to do all the required corrections.
As for the students, most of them are not academically inclined, but they are very pleasant and I am enjoying teaching them, even my weakest class, 1E, most of whom seem to be failing every subject. (And I'm their form teacher!) The school population is a mixture of Malays and Ibans, with a handful of Chinese students.
Almost all of the English department, apart from the HOD, are expatriates, and there are even a couple of English men teaching in the Maths and Science areas. Very different from being the only ex-pat in the Singapore school. The problem with this is that the ex-pats tend to stick together rather than mixing much with the local teachers.
I am driving a luxurious Ford Taurus. It was provided free for the first two weeks. Not our style at all. I feel a bit uncomfortable driving it, especially with the road conditions here and the number of bad drivers on the road. I have arranged to buy an old Toyota Corona for $3000 that another ex-pat teacher is selling. Hopefully it will last a few years. We are gradually gathering up things for the house. CfBT supplies basic furniture such as lounge suite, beds and dining set. We just bought a washing machine and toaster, and a modem for the computer. We still have to get a television, VCR, CD player, etc. They are quite cheap to buy new, but we could also get them from ex-pats leaving the country.
The school is in Seria, an oil-town about 20 km from KB. We live a few kilometres from KB so it takes me about twenty minutes to drive the 17 km to school (65 kph speed limit - out of town maximum is 80 kph). Although public transport is generally not good in Brunei, we found there is a small bright purple bus which goes between the towns every half hour for $1. Yoong tried it out today. I took her as far as school with me and she got the bus back home after looking around Seria. It only started running recently so it is new and comfortable. The stop is only a few minutes from our house. So there should be no problem if the car breaks down.
There is actually quite a lot to enjoy here. We often go for walks along the beach at sunrise or sunset (the sunsets here are wonderful) and we are gradually discovering the good places to eat in KB. Of course, the food can't compare with the range available in Singapore, but you can still eat well. We've found some good Chinese restaurants. You can take drinks in if you are discreet about it. I believe one place will even supply beer if you ask for "special" Chinese tea. There are also some excellent Indian eating-houses. We find the rotis here are less oily and twice as big as in Singapore. Another good eating place is the tamu, which is a kind of market -place, good for tasty snacks, and fruit and vegetables, on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, and several nice food-stalls upstairs, open every day. But, of course, we don't have theatre or choirs, or even much in the way of cinemas.
One big disadvantage here is the split weekend. Friday is a holiday, Saturday a normal working day, then Sunday is off again. It takes a bit of getting used to. Also, there are not as many holidays. There are three terms with two-week breaks in between, then at the end of the year there are only three weeks of holiday. Actually there are normally four, but this year and next are a week shorter because of the timing of Ramadan. So we won't be doing a lot of travelling for a while, apart from exploring the wilds of Borneo.