That was a bit of a change up I must admit. Last time I wrote on here it was about a crazy person on the Megabus. This time it was the complete opposite.
So I went a-travelling again, this time the Leeds-Sheffield-Birmingham route, (putting me squarely back in The Middle Lands as I'm writting this) and as we came to Sheffield a person sat next to me (whose name I don't think I caught).
They were a Sheffield teacher from Nigeria taking their child on holiday, and frankly a relief from the last person I sat next to. Quite an interesting person, lectured in Nigeria, then moved to the UK where they're now teaching. And best of all, they're teaching a STEM subject which meant that we had more than enough to talk about. We discussed teaching and where we're both from, what we're doing and where we're going, as well as issues in teaching and other areas. It was quite a nice conversation to have.
They were going to Bristol but stopping in Birmingham for a while. By what I gathered they sounded fairly well travelled.
One of the most interesting things I found however, was when she discussed cultural differences between teaching in the UK and teaching in Nigeria. Respect for teachers was a big one as well as other things you wouldn't expect like, greeting teachers in public, something they say is commonplace in Nigeria but not in the UK where there is a mental distancing between students and teachers.
Another thing I found quite interesting is that there are problems she used to have in Nigeria which no longer exist in the UK. For example, there is a larger gang problem in Nigeria and sometimes that would be an issue with students. However, that I assume is a controversial topic I don't intend to delve into because I am by no means equipped with the right knowledge for such a discussion.
But there were issues such as, they had the equipment in many of the universities but the unreliability of the power could prove a problem in certain places.
Anyway, it was a really interesting discussion. One of the highlights however was when she said that she's pleased to be talking to someone because no one in the UK seems to talk to strangers and it's one of the things she misses.
And to be fair, I can agree with her. I have some incredible conversations with strangers but it's getting past this social stigma and frankly the fear we all have, to enable ourselves to have these discussions.
Anyway, just thought I'd share that because I found it particularly interest.
All the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment