A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I love my teaching schedule. The courses I teach are very draining as they're 16 hours per week with the same group of students. The great thing is that these COMM classes are just five weeks long. Students can put in a sustained effort when they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You see, these Intensive classes require a lot of work.

Between teaching these hectic sessions, I need the week off to recharge my own batteries. That's what is coming to an end soon. So, I'm already set to take on a new group on Monday afternoon at the Burnaby campus.

It probably is a bit soon to start dreaming about my next vacation, but we just bought air tickets online a few minutes ago. It'll be the second short trip of the year. In the autumn we try to get away for three or four weeks. For this short one, we're driving across the border and down to Bellinham, WA just to catch a cheap flight to Phoenix, AZ. That'll be the week of May 10 to 17. Actually, the Allegiant Air flies into Mesa Gateway Airport where we'll rent a car. The exact schedule of the road trip is pretty flexible but the main destinations will include the Grand Canyon and Palm Springs, CA. One week really isn't long enough for much of anything else. New Mexico will have to be on another occasion. I've not seen the deserts of the American Southwest since I was a child.



Of course, I did see a dry, sandy environment during my fifteen years of work in the Middle East. The picture above was taken in Kuwait around 1982.

Labels: Desert Southwest, Kuwait, road trip, travel planning

It was just a picture taken without much planning over twenty-five years ago. I didn't know the guy in the photo nor was the location anyplace special. I recall thinking it was interesting and once enlarged it to an 8" x 10" wall photo after I left Kuwait. Then, I didn't see it for a few decades. At the end of October 2005, I scanned this particular copy from a piece of aging 3.5" x 5" photo paper.

Interestingly, today it is my third most-viewed Flickr image. So much life has gone on since I pressed that shutter. I seldom think about the two years I taught in Kuwait at this point in my life. Yet, the popularity of this photo prompted me to say a few words about it in my eJournal and images.

Labels: Flickr, Kuwait

I nearly forgot about writing an entry today. That's pretty strange considering how long I've been doing this on a daily basis. I never seem to forget to do other daily things such as putting on underwear. So, I guess, I am not going to put down this temporary lapse to being an age thing.



Today, among the other things accomplished, I went through my neckties. I used to always wear ones to class in the past; however, I haven't been during the last few years. I was looking to weed out the collection. Some were really wide and others were extremely thin. I'm not so sure I know what is actually 'in' nowadays.

Looking at my ties was a trip down memory lane. I did find one I bought in Kuwait during my first teaching job. That would've been in 1981, so at least one of the ribbons of cloth was 26 years old. I used to joke that I had neckties older than some of my students, but I'll be damned if it isn't actually true!

Labels: blogging, Kuwait, opinions

My class this afternoon seemed especially long. There was a general lethargy in the room that I tried, fairly unsuccessfully, to alleviate. I joked with the students that perhaps it was time I change careers. I said that my mother had suggested I not be an ESL instructor. I always say she suggested that medicine was better paying and less stressful. Actually, she never said anything of the kind.

In a teacher's repertoire, if I'm any example, there are a number of little lies told so often they've become fact. At least, some have become reality in my own mind. I am fairly positive that I never had a student who was sitting on the back legs of his chair and accidentally fell backwards. Although this may have never really happened, I've become very familiar and fond of the tale. I can almost swear that this poor, imaginary fellow had to be rushed to the hospital for three stitches to the back of his scalp. At minimum, it's a good story to ensure people sit safely in their chairs.

In response to the fanciful thought of doing something else for a living, an especially keen and mature student asked me how long I'd been teaching. I quickly responded that I started in 1981. Quicker yet, he exclaimed, "Twenty six years! I think it's a little too late to change careers." I guess he's right, but there's not much else that I'd really want to do with the possible exception of nothing.

I wonder what this student looks like 26 years after I taught him. I taught him in pre-war Kuwait, so I even wonder where he is.

Labels: Kuwait, students

My online photo collection increases daily. Many are just simple snaps but others are historical. One reason they're there is because it's a very accessible backup method. Another reason for using Flickr involves the ability to share, not only for friends but with random folks as well.

I like seeing how many of the photos are viewed by visitors. For example, I uploaded about 50 old, scans from Kuwait in the early 80's. They've been quite popular with folks who live there now. The little kid above was also in that set. I was just walking about the neighbourhood and snapped this kid who was accompanied by some family members.

For some reason, I think the one above does deserve to be in the top 200 listing. To me, it looks a bit like something out of a National Geographic magazine.

Labels: camera, Flickr, Kuwait, world

During the last several weeks there have been a fair number of blog references to the purchase and use my Creative Zen mp3 player. Getting podcasts is a new hobby and listening to them while driving is now the norm.



I used to sometimes walk around with a Sony Walkman in the very early 1980's. Just today, I noticed I'm wearing what appears to be headphones in this old scanned photo. It was taken in Kuwait. I'm in the photo with Jamal. I was later involved in a car accident with him and others. They were killed and only I escaped alive.

Labels: Kuwait, music, podcasts

On 2/5/07, I received this comment from the online form here:

---

Name = Wassan (family name withheld for privacy)
Seen What? = This Silly Form, ePicture Albums
Arrived How? = By accident!
Location = Africa / Middle East

Hello Mr. Dennis,

That's the only name I remember you by. I don't know if you remember me but I was in Grade 2 when you were teaching (Miss Vicky's class). I'm not sure but I believe you were my teacher too. I googled Kuwait's Past and decided to check out your sight. I was shocked and delighted to see that you had pictures of Al- Bayan ( Now Bayan Bilingual School or BBS). I recognized the painted walls and ofcourse you!! I am currently a Kindergarten 1 English Teacher at BBS and I am working on my Masters in Education. I just wanted to say hello and that I rememeber you very well.

Take Care,
Wassan

---

---

Hello Wassan!

Thank you for getting in contact. Did you happen to come across my
Flicker collection of Kuwaiti photos too?

www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=kuwait+DennisSylvesterHurd&m=text

It's amazing to hear from people from so long ago. I am pleased to
learn that you are involved in the 'noble profession'. It can be a
wonderful way to spend one's time. For many years now I've been
working with adult ESL students.

I do hope this letter finds you in the best of health and happiness.
Please share my email address with any others who may have been your
classmates.

==Dennis

---

Labels: Kuwait

While I was away, I got a very interesting email. This sort of thing simply wouldn't have ever happened in the days before the Internet. We can easily take these changes for granted but they really are extrordinary. Everyday folks are now easily able to influence large numbers of others on the opposite side of the earth.

I dashed off a quick reply thanking the sender for the message. Here's the photo that prompted it.

Dear Mr. Dennis,

I was so excited to see the photos you published on flicker the ones on Kuwait, particularly those of Al-Bayan school.

I am in the second class photo (1981/82 Second Graders 2/3), that's me with short hair wearing pink and white sitting in the center.

The photos have been circulating in Kuwait by email over the past couple of months and everyone who recognizes anyone in the photos gets all excited. Most of my classmates are living successful lives with great careers. Many of them have MBAs from the US or UK. I myself am a journalist working with the Kuwait News Agency.

Seeing those pictures gave me goose bumps and some mixed feelings especially after noticing that three of my classmates have died. Two of them are with you in the picture. One has died in a car accident. One in a diving accident and the other I'm not really sure I think it was health problems. That kind of frightened me.

I remember that corner in the gym so vividly it's as if it was yesterday.

Al-Bayan has grown into a bigger establishment with another school for special needs. Thank you again for bringing back such wonderful memories.

Besma

Labels: Kuwait, students

Okay, they are not quite middle aged yet! At the beginning of 2005, I blogged a similar class picture from 1981/82. It had me in it. I also included it on Flickr and guess what? I had a few nice notes from a Kuwaiti, Flickr-user who was a youth at the time!

Isn't the Internet amazing? I scanned two other photos from that set. The classes at the Al-Bayan School were divided into sections and each had a 'home room' teacher. The photo below contains an ex-fellow teacher named Joyce Alverez. Boy, it'd be fun if this picture in some way allowed me to make contact!

Labels: Kuwait

This guy was among the very first I met face-to-face outside of a zoo. The camel was on display in Kuwait in 1981.



This type of camel lives around 25 years but some have been know to reach fifty years old. I don't know how old this one was when I took the photo. I suppose it's possible he's still alive; however, there's been a war or two in the intervening years as well.

Labels: Kuwait

There really is magic in photos. How lucky kids are growing up with digital cameras today. I hope they take more pictures than I used to. Each print cost money, so maybe that's why we seldom snapped ordinary life.



This twenty-five year old, scanned image was taken when I worked at my very first job in Kuwait. These guys were mechanics and became friends. I didn't learn much Farsi but they were happy to use English. Without this image, I probably would've completely forgotten what they looked like!

Labels: Kuwait, Persian

I've been very image conscious lately as I've been uploading a great many pictures to Flickr. I've been making more than current pictures available. I've also been scanning things from the photo suitcase.

This, of course, has affected what is landing on these blog pages. The whole concept of keeping images of the past seems intriguing.

While in the Middle East, one had to be aware that a few individuals from the village would not want to be photographed. There was a belief that an image has the ability to steal one's soul. Of course many educated youth turned pleasingly theatrical when a camera appeared. Still, an image is something special.

On the recent trip to Europe, we got to see many of the first individuals who saved their images. Hundreds of years before photography only the rich or powerful could see themselves represented in pigment. They can still be seen today. We don't get too much of a glimpse into their souls, but we definitely get an idea of hair style choice and nose size.

Anyway, it's more than a trip down memory lane, modern imaging allows us to capture moments that will live beyond our own frail bodies. I find that very interesting.

Labels: Flickr, Kuwait

I like to create tasks for myself. I've been madly uploading photo files. As I'll be away for a majority of the month, I wanted to get a good number online. I'm pleased to have over 500 available at present. As well as making available lots of digital photos from the past three and a half years, I have even been leisurely scanning some older images.



I went to Kuwait for my very first teaching job. The Al-Bayan School was in temporary facilities in the years 1981 to 1983. Here are some students at recess time. The kids in this picture would be around 30 years old nowadays but were only half that age during the 1990 Gulf War.

Labels: Kuwait, students

I had not intended to plug in the scanner two evenings in a row. If you scroll down a bit, you'll discover that in Wednesday's entry, I included a rather stuffy image of a class I taught at the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) School in Dammam.

In that previous blog entry, I stated that I'd selected a class from 1988 rather than my first year of teaching in 1981/82. That was as good as a self-challenge! Saying something like that, virtually ensured I would need to run back to my photo suitcase.



It was with great pleasure that I found this. It was taken at the Al-Bayan Bilingual School in a temporary set of buildings in Safat, Kuwait. The kids were Grade 2 pupils when the shutter clicked in 1982. This would make them a bit more than 30 years old today!

So much has gone on in that country that I have absolutely no idea about any of them. Their whereabouts and current situations are completely unknown to me. Yet, I do get lots of world-wide visitors from search engines. It's possible that someone connected with that place and time will email to fill me in on a few details. That'd be nice.

Labels: Kuwait, students

I feel a bit lazy today, so I thought I'd just look for a photo to include with a short explanation. On my hard disk, I found this scanned image of an actual policeman.



This picture was taken on a trip that I once mentioned in this blog. During a journey from Kuwait to Syria and Jordan by SUV, four of us drove into the desert here. This was taken at an entrance to Wadi Rum in southern Jordan. This is one of the filming locations for the movie, Lawrence of Arabia.

At the time of this photo, the epic movie would have been 21 years old, but now we'll have to add another 21 years to that!

Labels: Kuwait, world

There can be a sort of reverse continuity to a blog. I often find myself falling into topics or elaborating on previous entries. Yesterday, I included a photo of the first building I moved to in Canada. This has led me to consider the various buildings in which I've lived.

I spent the first 18 years of my life in the same house. After that, I went on to college and had rooms in two different dormatory buildings at Keene State College in New Hampshire. I think, over the next several weeks, I'll try to hunt up other places I've lived. The following picture is the building where I had my first real apartment. It was in Fintas near Al-Ahmadi, Kuwait.


This is the reverse side of a building that was provided when
teaching in Kuwait. There were three V-shaped buildings designed
so that each room in the complex had a view of the Persian Gulf. I
lived here from 1981 to 1983 when working for the Al-Bayan Bilingual
School. I taught elementary students there.

Labels: Kuwait

Last night was cool and damp. The gas fireplace was switched on for the first time this season. I was looking for an excuse to scan old photos, so the lack of heat is a good intro for the picture below!

It was taken in 1983. I worked in Kuwait at the time and during spring break, four of us chose to take a road trip through Jordan and Syria. The gals couldn't drive through Saudi as non-family members and thusly flew to meet us in Jordan.

On the evening of this picture, we were stranded in a snow storm in the mountains of Jordan. I believe we were near Al-Karak. A local family from a small village offered us food, hospitality, and warmth. Trevor Clark (right) and yours truly (middle) were wearing the head-gear for the fun of photo taking.

Labels: Kuwait, weather, world