group mates.

they can be annoying. they can be unserious. they can be female. they can be male. they can have problems with english that bring you all to a standstill when you're all trying to compile work. or they can be good at english. they can love english even. and sometimes when you put all those things together, they can be lovely. so lovely.

the lecturer, after having gloated forever about his time in netherlands doing his masters, decided that ugandan universities need a revolution, and so instead of giving us notes like any other normal lecturer, made us group ourselves up into twos and threes. and he didn't stop there, he went ahead to distribute a topic to each group. as if that wasnt enuf, he said each group was to research on the topic; as in compile the topic;-do it ourselves. then adding to the horror, he said each group would actually hav to present their topic to the class, as in teach that topic to the rest. then, like topping the ice cream with (nice caramel, a berry, watever u like), he said that he would set the exam questions on each topic basing on what the group had to present. (as in so if we did crap he'd have to set lousy or easy qustions, ryt? that's got to be caramel). then he took a nice big bite off the icecream cone and gave us a month. 4 weeks only. to have it printed out, neat in his office. like i didnt have a test in one week, two course works to hand in in two weeks, and a 30-50 page report on my numerous class trips to hand in in about the same time.

back to my group mates. i was stuck with them because the serious (oops, read more serious) students were taken. and besides, they are my friends. we understand each other. we all know what it feels like to not want to start the work immediately, like in that very week. i was even in the same field trip group as the he. the she is a good friend to my hostel mate so we meet a lot. we walk down to hostel together a lot. that means we laugh and talk a lot. thus we probably share a lot, just like friends getting to know each other more. see? so why wouldnt we group up?

so three weeks later the lecturer reminds us on monday that he wants the work in his office the next monday. so we commit to meeting in the evening. but i was tired by evening, and my groupies understood. after all, they were tired too. (i told u we understood each other.) so we commit to doing individual research and comparing and compiling notes on wednesday evening (our most hectic class day).
by wednesday evening, i had not understood the new system of borrowing books using the library cards that were given to us in first year (in september of 2004, to be more exact), wherever those cards were. and i was tired. it was after all, the most hectic day. The she had come accross some websites that had something to do with the topic, but had the list in her book which was at her hostel because we did not have that lecture that day. i was too tired to ask her if she actually compiled some notes from those websites. and anyway she wouldnt have told me coz she was too tired to explain then, so we'd meet friday at midday after lectures. The he was nowhere to be seen. is this another football season? or do couples go out on wednesdays? but anyway, it was a tiring day, we understood.
friday at midday:- i had photocopied a handout from someone that had some of the tourism sustainability principles(our topic). yay! something done. The he had found some random paragraphs on internet that resembled tourism sustainability principles. yay! The she had a novel to return soon and wasnt able to do anything else before friday. or something like that. but watever, that didnt matter, i just wanted to get done with the work and get back to my hostel and relax;- no more lectures for me after midday on fridays! yay! so i grab a book to start writing an essay, after thirty minutes or so of catching up.

so i write. one paragraph gets done. i remind the he that he would do the typing and printing, since he's a he. and i would do the writing out of the essay, since i wasnt typing or printing. the she would finish her novel. or was arguing with someone. or daydreaming. or something like that.

two paragraphs done. i am still writing the sentence '....the three sustainability dimensions are easier understood when broken down into their principles...' (or something like that), when the she buts in and says "Change that 'their' to 'there' ". the he and i look at her in shock for a moment. or two. so i am starting to explain why it is 'their' principles and not 'there' principles, when the he interrupts and asks the she which primary school she goes to. after twenty minutes of an argument, i remind them that it is a friday and i intend to be back at hostel before 2pm so that i can have at least four hours (official school hours) of not having lectures. i have attracted their attention for only but a moment during which i have written five or so more words, before my pen is grabbed by the he and is being pointed at the she, and the book grabbed by the she and being wagged at the he. all this is amidst a re-heated up argument of course, complete with offensive statements, struggles to avoid foul language, and egotism that will allow neither to back down on their views;- and extra emotion as the he goes on to give a heart warming speech of how after over fifteen years of studying english and two years of studying A-level literature, his love for english can not allow him watch as it's being murdered and ruthlessly distorted by products of uncaring, child-beating, poor-english-speaking primary school english teachers. he then launches into a lecture on how 'their' is an article of possession whether the thing possesing is living or non-living.
the she retaliates with a mighty speech of how one must stand for watever they beleive in and never back down no matter wat the rest of the world says, and she beleives 'their' can only be used with people, and 'there' with non-living things like tourism sustainability dimensions have 'there' principles.
i am getting impatient and scratching my head looking for peace talks techniques. in vain of course. i finally yell and succeed in commanding silence. and remind them that i'd like to be out by two and it is already past one. in silence, the he grabs the paper, and writes two statements;
a. the cars are in their garages.
b. the cars are in there garages.
he then orders the she to take the paper round class and ask everyone for the the correct statement. everyone chooses a until the fourth guy or so chooses b. then the she strengthens her argument about how it doesnt matter if only one in five people beleive in something, she beleives b is right because cars are non-living.

dont get me wrong. i was hurt and heated up too. i really wanted the she to learn the right thing. but then i also wanted to be reading a nice book in hostel more than teaching english. my few interjections to correct her were futile. and my pleas for them to stop arguing and get back to work were not even being heard. my desire for my hostel room was getting stronger all the while. so i yell again. and remind them for the last time, again, that it is almost two and they will do the work alone if they dont stop.

and then miracles of miracles. they heard. and climax of miracles; the he stands up, and says he is too hurt, cant stand it, loves english too much, cant go on when this unresolved thing is still hanging with the she not accepting her mistake. therefore he is taking all the work and will do it himself, after all, he's the one typing. we would meet saturday and do final touches after i had worked out the library card thing and confirmed our work approach with a few text books.
have you ever doubted miracles? i have. i doubted this one, but was not disappointed. he took the work and stormed out! double yays!!!! i was free! i did nothing and my work would be ready by monday! how lovely! i wish all my groupies were like that.

moral of the story? next time, make sure your group mates are annoying, as unserious as you (read as serious as you), are female, are male, have problems with english, are good at english and love english even. that way, they can be lovely. so lovely.!