Come April, those very grumpy ones start gearing up to bombard us with 'strongly-worded' letters in the newspapers. They usually complain about the horrendous time they go through: each and every summer.
Trying to picture them while they're at it is somewhat fascinating. A group of older ladies, smartly dressed up with a fancy scarf to protect their necks, meet up on a Sunday at one of their Sliema flats, for the 5pm tea... And while the lady of the house pours the tea (tat-Tetley, cause tal-Lion isn't good like), their blessed bee in the bonnet manages to free itself after months of seclusion.
And the poor students are in for some good spanking... Not that the latter would mind the spanking bit, mind you - it's not us saying this; the ladies somehow know it so they duly report it in the papers!
Not to let us down, there they start. This is a letter to the editor published in The Times, today:
First of all, dear Ms Camilleri, the students you are panning wouldn't ever say "loudy". But hey, they're not as proficient as you are... they actually come here because they expect (this last word is what probably in your dictionary features as 'pretend') people like you to teach them.
Secondly, would you please be so kind as to acquaint us with what is so abhorrent about playing football? Would you like them better if they played Polo or chess perhaps?
What's more irritating, however, is the fact that these ladies don't seem to understand that in reality these same students are a blessing for Malta. (Other people living on other islands sort of get that, but the Maltese merely disregard this fact!) They bring, much to the moaners' dismay, a great deal of money to these islands... They choose Malta over other places, and that is quite an achievement. Besides, these students come all around the year - not just in summer - so this industry deserves better than just being lambasted by people who don't know the ins and outs.
True, they might be a bit rowdy when they are in big groups. They might sing while they walk it back from Paceville. Yet, dear Ms Camilleri, it's not only the foreign ones that do that. If you seriously think that, then that tea you're drinking is irreparably diluting your senses.
This is not to say that they shouldn't be taken to task when they make mistakes or disrupt the public's tranquility. However, tarring all the students with the same brush is horribly unjust.
It's really annoying when these people just blow things out of proportion. We've had some bad experiences with some of them, fine, but that shouldn't translate in: "Ooh, they're coming, they're coming. Police, do something. Now."
wouldn't expect anything less from you. you have a vested interest because you are teachers yourselves.
ReplyDeleteAnd what, exactly, is that supposed to mean? That we, as teachers, must sit and shut up and let certain people talk bollocks? Thank you very much, but no thank you.
DeleteAs a matter of fact, being part of the industry helps us notice many nuances - while others, like yourself, it would seem - are oblivious to many realities. Read the comment by 'angiec' - it renders the idea pretty well.
These students create hundreds, no sorry...thousands of jobs for locals - not only teachers...think of hotels, restaurants, host families, bus drivers, taxi and coach drivers, tour guides, group leaders, waiters, bar attendants, bouncers, party organisers, book suppliers, cleaners, maintenance people, electricity and water suppliers, stationary suppliers, mobile phone companies, internet providers, not to mention street sweepers and many many more. These who are moaning, do they have alternatives? It's fine to moan and groan, every one has a right to opinions, (I for sure have mine), but if one feels educated enough to voice them in public, please do so along side your suggested alternative to the imminent national disaster should the number of foreign students drop!!
ReplyDeleteAptly put! We couldn't agree more :)
DeleteAnd who is accountable for the damage done to private property, 'angiec'? Cars and property are sometimes damaged. Do we ask the schools and the hotels to pay us?
DeleteC.Galea, I hope you're not implying that it's just foreigners who cause damage in Malta....? I know it's good to be patriotic, but going to the extremes of actually blaming all the bad things that happen on foreigners is actually a bit stupid. I used to teach English to foreigners, so I know they have their moments, but come on!
DeleteGreat post "Tea & Rain"! :)
My car window was smashed by a football thrown by a Maltese kid, my car bumper was damaged by a car rearing into it - I can't be sure who it was, but the only cars that had been noticed there were driven by Maltese, some time ago my facade was damaged by eggs thrown by Maltese kids on Halloween night....there's more, but I won't waste time. Needless to say....who is accountable? at least foreign students bring some money in our country even if they don't hand it to us personally.
DeleteIncidentally, I have never had, or heard of anyone I know who has had, any problem of damage caused to property by students (the same cannot be said for locals - who refuse to pay up to their responsibilities - I don't know, perhaps someone might suggest kicking them out of the country too???
I was a student in Malta & I've never had problems. Nor have my many friends who have been there! I reckon this lady is not completely there if she thinks that playing football is outrageous.
ReplyDeleteExactly! If playing football is something so appalling, I'll alert the Sliema Oratory, as football is one of the main activities for youths there!
DeleteI don't understand why some people feel like they have to make such a fuss over nothing!
kljgh lk lkdsngfs,dmvad;vm ;'ldmk!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
ReplyDeleteYou're right.
DeleteFootball should not be allowed in our streets - there are other places for this kind of game -
ReplyDeleteYes students might be helping the countries economy but I expect better behaviour in public areas.
A Proficiency student would tell you that in reality it's 'the country's economy' and not 'countries...'
DeleteApart from that... it's true that playing football in your street isn't the most ideal of situations - but hey, I've had many Maltese teens doing that and no one has ever whinged. And that's to say nothing of the older ones who always say how beautiful it was in the past that the people could actually do that without running any risks...
It's not that we're trying to defend the indefensible, but you shouldn't make mountains out of tiny molehills. Their behaviour, to be frank, is better than that of many Maltese students - yet many seem to completely disregard that.
I wouldn't've thought they needed to get to proficiency to say 'country's'!
DeleteHaha, that just goes without saying... it was merely done to accentuate how ironic that was and that in reality we get really good students - as, apparently, they believe only the 'footballers' come to Malta.
DeleteIt's funny that you ignore many aspects that many other people go through all of summer. In reality these students don't come to learn english and we all know it. They come here for partying and paceville. They don't leave as much money as you think they do dear angie, keith and roberta. In reality they are stingy. They pay their course and that's it. Then they expect everything else to be cheap.
ReplyDeleteThey leave a mess over here. They dirty the hotels and they cause trouble to the host families who so gently host them. It's so annoying.
These students in reality don't learn much especially because anyone could teach practically. Especially in summer when everyone is employed because of a lack of full-timers by the schools who stingily don't employ full-timers to make more profit.
Again, I believe that you are being fair... I think that all the things you have mentioned would be done by US if we were in their countries (looking for cheap deals, preferring to party than to study, not being so clean) IN FACT, we can say that we do all these things to OUR OWN country - There are students who would rather bunk off from lectures than attend them, despite BEING PAID TO STUDY, our roads are full of rubbish which I believe the Maltese can hold SOME BLAME for, and I believe many of us look for "cheap" deals when we go out too, so please, stop showing how dumb you are and face the fact that you are exaggerating! ;)
Delete*unfair
Delete'They pay their course and that's it' - oh how wrong can one be! And yes, maybe they don't come here to learn English - their reason for coming is anybody's guess. But fact is that they do learn! (Bar, of course, the percentage who wouldn't learn in any context as would be humanly and statistically expected.)
Delete'It's funny that you ignore many aspects that many other people go through all of summer.' Think about what people go through all year round - building sites, closed roads, traffic jams, noisy nights, fireworks, traffic noise, deliveries and rubbish collectors making people late for appointments, air and noise pollution...is it being suggested that anything that causes an inconvenience be brought to a halt.