Buzz Kill Bye Bye

In keeping with ISG Dammam's general dysfunction, the recent ma'a salama was both amusing and a monumental absurdity. There were 29 staff members scheduled to be sent off in a room of about 100 people. Principal Rutter, the ostensible MC, winged it as he stumbled through an inadequate explanation of Vice Principal Neha's absence due to her mother's illness before he segued into a tangent about the importance of end of life wishes.

Rushed presentations were shuffled through for departing groups of people: middle school, high school, office staff.

Fatma, a departing high school English teacher, then asked if she could say a speech but was asked to wait because we were going to watch a video.

Sarah, the Global languages Vice Principal, did an admirable tribute to Principal Rutter and his uneven tenure before starting a five minute video retrospective of the past seven years of his presence at various celebrations, meetings and events.

Once the video was over Fatma stood and asked if she could now be allowed to say her speech. Many people came with speeches as it is a tradition to have the opportunity to say a few words of thanks and memories before departing. Since the number of people was so great this year, Mr. Rutter had stated to save them for another time in a smaller setting. Even so, Fatma insisted and solemnly stood before the microphone.

She unfolded a piece of paper and placed it in front of her. Rather than wishing a room full of onlookers goodbye and good luck, the speech was an emotional, heartfelt, boastridden and inappropriately timed diatribe against the administration and how it had so unfairly and cruelly mistreated her and caused her to resign after working here for two years.

The speech had a formal structure and she began with a quote by Paulo Coelho. I believe she was attempting to put her intellect on display so as to create an ironic backdrop for her being treated poorly but it was too filled with vain and prideful obstinacy and proclamations.

Following the quote she told us her name and its proper pronunciation and that she was a 31 year old woman. Then she said her children's names and what their meanings were and then her husband's name and its meaning.

I was thinking of that scene in Pulp Fiction when the character of Butch, played by Bruce Willis, is tenderly questioned by his Eastern European girlfriend about what his name means and he replies, "I'm from America baby, our names don't mean shit."

She moved on to speak of her parents--specifically her father, who is a sort of official advocate in Alexandria, who is stubborn and a teller of truth--no matter the consequence, thereby implying and conferring a correlation and inheritance of those noble traits for herself and her purpose here today.

She went on to speak of her experience and specialties and emphasis in teaching, her degrees and the fact that, unlike some in the room, her degree was attested by the Saudi government.

"No offense," she stated.

Her voice broke under the emotion 2-3 times while saying that she and her family didn't want to have to start over again--giving the erroneous impression that she and her family were in KSA for this teaching job at ISG. She then went on to thank specific people she'd received support from, leavened with a small flourish of explanation. Mrs. Souvi-- thank you for the stationary from your office, which I stole. Jake-- thank you for your support last year. Rana-- thank you for the fun we had during the fun moments on the senior trip to Athens. She even thanked Mr. Rutter, who was ultimately responsible for the tone and tenor of the speech in the first place.

There was a rhetorical device she used in the speech related to her role as a teacher where she listed a series of "I will nevers."

There were many.

The only one I remember though was, "I will never teach my children that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel." Of wildly inappropriate and tone-deaf remarks, that may have been the most egregious.

Fatma so deeply wants to be something she is unable to be here, or maybe anywhere based on her temperament and display of poor judgment at this event.

She monopolized fifteen minutes of precious time with no regard for anyone else. She appeared persecuted, oppressed, selfish and insecure. Spurned by ISG, it was as if she was owed this opportunity.

The role of newly minted Advanced Placement instructor, the training for which the school paid for her to fly to California and attend, seems to have endowed her with the capital and credibility and institutional investment to perform this oration. She spoke to a room where many people were being involuntarily let go and would do anything to continue working, while she had chosen to resign out of a personal principle that others in the room did not have the luxury of contemplating.

It was a travesty of social convention and propriety.

Amy was so taken aback by it that she was dumbstruck and disgusted for hours afterward.

When it finally ended, Mr. Rutter, the ostensible target of the preceding screed stood up, turned to the room and unceremoniously blurted, "Let's eat!"

We were then herded to the canteen for a giant professionally catered buffet, which was inconveniently positioned directly in front of the entrance to the room and created a glut of hungry and, depending on your affiliation, embittered, bemused or exhilarated diners.

Thankfully, the food was glorious, and there were piles of it. But the natural lightness and celebratory nature of a shared meal at a celebration was blunted by the preceding forty minutes of nonsense.

We wolfed down our food, gathered up our bags and regrouped in the van for the ride back to the compound for a much needed 3 day weekend before Ramadan begins and the whole school powers down to accommodate the fasting of many of the students and staff.