This was pronounced mid week by one of my Saudi Arabian students after 3 days of continuous rain. Fortunately no sooner than school finished on Friday the sun started to poke through the clouds. The weather is perfect for the bank holiday weekend.
I have survived! My initial 4 week contract at Select English was extended to 8 weeks. Eight weeks of long days, work at weekends, basically a lot of hard work. Now I can enjoy a week off. Yay! It turns out I have quite taken to teaching English as a foreign language and have secured a further two weeks teaching at Select. This time a closed Italian group with less social activity commitments so it should be OK. When I began the job I did not expect that my colleagues would come from around the UK and further afield. However, I soon discovered it was pretty similar to being at summer camp. The bonus being I didn't have to live with the kids. It was sad to say goodbye to my new friends on Friday. The two I get on best with are the babies of the group and will be in London at uni so there should be opportunities to see them! As a group of teachers we have got on pretty well so there is some chance of a reunion next summer at Select.
So this week brings an opportunity to catch up with myself and maybe venture out of Cambridge to visit friends.
Will stop now coz this computer is particularly slow. I can type about half a line before the characters appear on the screen. More news soon.
Sunday, 26 August 2007
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Another week in Cambridge...
Had another school trip to London yesterday. We managed to time our walking tour nicely to arrive at Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards - or so we thought. Unfortunately our guide Ashley, the social organiser, and local English boy, didn't know what we were looking at. So, while we stood gazing down the Mall awaiting the arrival of horses etc, the actual changing of the guards was taking place inside the palace gates hidden by the crowds of tourists on a Saturday. It will take Ashley a while to live this down. In the meantime we hope that the Russian leader doesn't twig that it took place right under our noses!
On my way home on Friday afternoon I saw an interesting busker. It would have been great to get a photo but unfortunately my camera is on the blink. So, a description will have to do. Picture a rubbish bin, large, round and black. Poking out the hole where you assume you'd put litter is an arm holding a guitar. As you get closer you hear singing - sorry I can't remember the tune. An ingenius way of making a few extra quid don't you think? I wonder if anyone mistakenly does put rubbish in there.
On Thursday we had "Football World Cup". In between the rain we managed to fit in a few football games at Girton College on the outskirts of Cambridge. While we were waiting outside school to put the kids on the coaches a friendly solicitor accosted the coach drivers. He claimed that according to the highway act they were illegally parked. Lots of yelling and shouting, much to my amusement. The guy even got on the phone to the police. Apparently it is OK for coaches to make pick-ups on double yellow lines as long as they are at least 15 metres clear of a junction - which they were. And they were stopped at a bus stop! It's hardly a surprise that the police did not show up to sort the matter out.
On my way home on Friday afternoon I saw an interesting busker. It would have been great to get a photo but unfortunately my camera is on the blink. So, a description will have to do. Picture a rubbish bin, large, round and black. Poking out the hole where you assume you'd put litter is an arm holding a guitar. As you get closer you hear singing - sorry I can't remember the tune. An ingenius way of making a few extra quid don't you think? I wonder if anyone mistakenly does put rubbish in there.
On Thursday we had "Football World Cup". In between the rain we managed to fit in a few football games at Girton College on the outskirts of Cambridge. While we were waiting outside school to put the kids on the coaches a friendly solicitor accosted the coach drivers. He claimed that according to the highway act they were illegally parked. Lots of yelling and shouting, much to my amusement. The guy even got on the phone to the police. Apparently it is OK for coaches to make pick-ups on double yellow lines as long as they are at least 15 metres clear of a junction - which they were. And they were stopped at a bus stop! It's hardly a surprise that the police did not show up to sort the matter out.
Sunday, 12 August 2007
What's up?
Well, work continues to keep me pretty busy. In the last fortnight I have made two trips to London to catch up with Kiwi friends. Had a night out in a random pub near the Westbourne Park tube with Gina and a bunch of other mostly 'Naki people. We stayed at the huge backpackers "Generator" near Russell Square. An interesting initiation for 3 of the people who had not had the pleasure of real backpacker accomodation before. Especially the bathrooms on Sunday morning!
Last weekend it was a whirlwind trip to London on Saturday for lunch with Rachel F., Karen and Mark G. Had great food at a gourmet burger place at Leicester Square when we all managed to find one another. What would we do without cell phones? Then met up with the school group to hitch a ride back to Cambridge. We had drinks here on Saturday night to farewell our Course Director Ruth. She has been replaced by Natasha for the last 3 weeks of the summer.
Still continuuing to learn lots at work. Improving my pronunciation of names from Spain, Italy, Portugal China, Russia, Khazakhstan, Poland (they are really hard!). Try saying Przemek which is short for Przemeyslaw. Tomorrow I have the pleasure of a large class (13 students) of beginners. I have had the luxury of 6 weeks of Upper Intermediate classes which are a breeze. It is easy to give students instructions and lessons can end with discussions on a range of interesting topics. Will see how I fare with the lower level.
I have been punting twice with school groups in the last couple of weeks. Always a lot of fun. The first week one of my French students had a bit of an accident. It resulted in him falling or maybe it was jumping in to try and retrieve the pole. Very entertaining and we have made endless jokes about him being a good swimmer! Last week I tested my skills out. I definitely need a little more practice. I have faith in my balancing abilities so hopped straight up on the back of the boat. It was a little slippery as it was the first trip out for the punt which had just had a varnish job. None of this balancing in the back end like some beginners try. I understand which way to hold the pole to steer the punt but it is no mean feat to get the punt moving in a straight line. I could make excuses about the fact the punt was sitting high out of the water due to the recent varnish job but the truth is I wasn't that good. Got into a bit of trouble at a bridge where we were hit simultaneously by boats from in front and behind. We were kind of wedged in between the two boats under the bridge. At this point I handed over the reigns to Ashley the local boy to get us out of trouble. We then had to help another boat fetch their pole. This required some careful maneouvering which was out of my skill range.
Last weekend it was a whirlwind trip to London on Saturday for lunch with Rachel F., Karen and Mark G. Had great food at a gourmet burger place at Leicester Square when we all managed to find one another. What would we do without cell phones? Then met up with the school group to hitch a ride back to Cambridge. We had drinks here on Saturday night to farewell our Course Director Ruth. She has been replaced by Natasha for the last 3 weeks of the summer.
Still continuuing to learn lots at work. Improving my pronunciation of names from Spain, Italy, Portugal China, Russia, Khazakhstan, Poland (they are really hard!). Try saying Przemek which is short for Przemeyslaw. Tomorrow I have the pleasure of a large class (13 students) of beginners. I have had the luxury of 6 weeks of Upper Intermediate classes which are a breeze. It is easy to give students instructions and lessons can end with discussions on a range of interesting topics. Will see how I fare with the lower level.
I have been punting twice with school groups in the last couple of weeks. Always a lot of fun. The first week one of my French students had a bit of an accident. It resulted in him falling or maybe it was jumping in to try and retrieve the pole. Very entertaining and we have made endless jokes about him being a good swimmer! Last week I tested my skills out. I definitely need a little more practice. I have faith in my balancing abilities so hopped straight up on the back of the boat. It was a little slippery as it was the first trip out for the punt which had just had a varnish job. None of this balancing in the back end like some beginners try. I understand which way to hold the pole to steer the punt but it is no mean feat to get the punt moving in a straight line. I could make excuses about the fact the punt was sitting high out of the water due to the recent varnish job but the truth is I wasn't that good. Got into a bit of trouble at a bridge where we were hit simultaneously by boats from in front and behind. We were kind of wedged in between the two boats under the bridge. At this point I handed over the reigns to Ashley the local boy to get us out of trouble. We then had to help another boat fetch their pole. This required some careful maneouvering which was out of my skill range.
Saturday, 28 July 2007
Highlights
It's been another busy week at work. Somehow I was scheduled for 4 evening activities this week. I have survived! A few of the highlights are below.
It started on Monday night with a trip to the bowling alley. One of my students challenged me to a bowling competition. The bet was that if he won - no grammar for the class for the rest of the week. So, it was 5 students vs me. My main aims were 1: not to fall over and 2: to beat Antonio and win the bet. Only one of the 5 students was any good. As the game drew to a close I had the opportunity to go one better and beat the lot of them. There was a big team of cheerleaders supporting the students and a couple of teachers on my side. As I was bowling in 6th position I knew what I needed to do to win. I only had to make 3 to take the game. My approach all along had been not to try too hard, just be consistent. On the night this was successful as I think the least number of pins I hit in one turn was 6. Sure enough on my second to last go I sealed victory and bragging rights for the week. Much to the disappointment of the students from my class who now had to do more grammar exercises over the next few days!
Yesterday was the final day for a large group of students. I said goodbye to quite a few Spanish kids who have been in one or other of my classes for the last month. As my friend Emily and I had proclaimed yesterday to be "International day to give your teacher presents" they swung into action. We were showered with chocolate. Best of all my Spanish friends bought a special present and a great card. We have had debates in class about what a kiwi is. It took me a day or two to realise that the Kiwi chant related to the fruit - not in fact the bird or us Kiwi people. So yesterday I was presented with 4 kiwis (fruit) one of which had been given a beak, wings and legs.
Off to London this afternoon to catch up with Gina and friends. More news soon.
It started on Monday night with a trip to the bowling alley. One of my students challenged me to a bowling competition. The bet was that if he won - no grammar for the class for the rest of the week. So, it was 5 students vs me. My main aims were 1: not to fall over and 2: to beat Antonio and win the bet. Only one of the 5 students was any good. As the game drew to a close I had the opportunity to go one better and beat the lot of them. There was a big team of cheerleaders supporting the students and a couple of teachers on my side. As I was bowling in 6th position I knew what I needed to do to win. I only had to make 3 to take the game. My approach all along had been not to try too hard, just be consistent. On the night this was successful as I think the least number of pins I hit in one turn was 6. Sure enough on my second to last go I sealed victory and bragging rights for the week. Much to the disappointment of the students from my class who now had to do more grammar exercises over the next few days!
Yesterday was the final day for a large group of students. I said goodbye to quite a few Spanish kids who have been in one or other of my classes for the last month. As my friend Emily and I had proclaimed yesterday to be "International day to give your teacher presents" they swung into action. We were showered with chocolate. Best of all my Spanish friends bought a special present and a great card. We have had debates in class about what a kiwi is. It took me a day or two to realise that the Kiwi chant related to the fruit - not in fact the bird or us Kiwi people. So yesterday I was presented with 4 kiwis (fruit) one of which had been given a beak, wings and legs.
Off to London this afternoon to catch up with Gina and friends. More news soon.
Sunday, 22 July 2007
Fun & games in London
Had an interesting trip to London yesterday for work. It was eventful before we even got on the bus. Why? Because there was a logistical problem that meant there was not enough space on the bus for all our students. What to do? There was another coach with plenty of spare seats taking students to the airport. So 15 students, myself and two other staff took the Heathrow coach.
We were probably 10 miles or so out of Cambridge when there was a loud bang! I looked up to see the wing mirror of the bus hanging off the front! Not crucial to the driving the bus we carried on down the highway. Then off it fell. We were in hysterics. Last weekend on the Oxford trip there was bus problems and it looked like we were in for trouble again! The driver calmly pulled over to the side of the road. Then we began a slow journey, reversing back along the side of the highway to collect the missing accessory. The driver dodged the traffic, picked up the mirror and stowed it in the luggage compartment. We later found out that they are worth £2500. Probably illegal but we carried on without our left wing mirror and didn't strike any trouble changing lanes.
Got to Heathrow safely and made our way to the tube. We had been given £80 for tube tickets. I already suspected this was not going to cover the cost. Notices said it was about £13 for each ticket to central London. Lucky Emily (another teacher) had a credit card to foot the bill. The students with us were great. They didn't bat an eyelid when we arrived at Heathrow and explained we still had a half hour tube ride before we would meet up with the other part of our tour group at Buckingham Palace. No probs on the tube. YAY!
Oh, except that the Chinese tour leader had lost a couple of students and then lost himself. We figured perhaps he was looking for two of his students that were with us. Funny that he hadn't missed them for 3 hours! I got his number from the students and we let him know Yang and Yang were with us. Then we had to unlose him. This involved Ashley (the social co-ordinator) speaking to an Australian guy (quite likely sad after watching the rugby) who then directed the Chinese leader to what we like to call The Palace! I later found out that said Chinese leader did not know how to answer his phone. What a pain!
We managed to meet up with the other part of the group at B. Palace. While I was escorting students to the toilet the Chinese leader did another disappearing act. This time in search of another student who barely speaks a word of English. Eventually everyone was located and allowed free time for lunch, shopping etc at Covent Garden, as the rain began to fall!
It was amazing that everyone made their way to the 3.30 meeting point and then back to the buses waiting nearby. It was not the students this time that caused the extra stress but group leaders who speak very little English and don't see the importance of telling school staff what they are doing. I think they should be banned from the trip! They are a liability not an asset.
We were probably 10 miles or so out of Cambridge when there was a loud bang! I looked up to see the wing mirror of the bus hanging off the front! Not crucial to the driving the bus we carried on down the highway. Then off it fell. We were in hysterics. Last weekend on the Oxford trip there was bus problems and it looked like we were in for trouble again! The driver calmly pulled over to the side of the road. Then we began a slow journey, reversing back along the side of the highway to collect the missing accessory. The driver dodged the traffic, picked up the mirror and stowed it in the luggage compartment. We later found out that they are worth £2500. Probably illegal but we carried on without our left wing mirror and didn't strike any trouble changing lanes.
Got to Heathrow safely and made our way to the tube. We had been given £80 for tube tickets. I already suspected this was not going to cover the cost. Notices said it was about £13 for each ticket to central London. Lucky Emily (another teacher) had a credit card to foot the bill. The students with us were great. They didn't bat an eyelid when we arrived at Heathrow and explained we still had a half hour tube ride before we would meet up with the other part of our tour group at Buckingham Palace. No probs on the tube. YAY!
Oh, except that the Chinese tour leader had lost a couple of students and then lost himself. We figured perhaps he was looking for two of his students that were with us. Funny that he hadn't missed them for 3 hours! I got his number from the students and we let him know Yang and Yang were with us. Then we had to unlose him. This involved Ashley (the social co-ordinator) speaking to an Australian guy (quite likely sad after watching the rugby) who then directed the Chinese leader to what we like to call The Palace! I later found out that said Chinese leader did not know how to answer his phone. What a pain!
We managed to meet up with the other part of the group at B. Palace. While I was escorting students to the toilet the Chinese leader did another disappearing act. This time in search of another student who barely speaks a word of English. Eventually everyone was located and allowed free time for lunch, shopping etc at Covent Garden, as the rain began to fall!
It was amazing that everyone made their way to the 3.30 meeting point and then back to the buses waiting nearby. It was not the students this time that caused the extra stress but group leaders who speak very little English and don't see the importance of telling school staff what they are doing. I think they should be banned from the trip! They are a liability not an asset.
Sunday, 15 July 2007
Back to Work
The day we flew out to Madrid I had an interview at a language school here in Cambridge. It was nice leaving England knowing that I had a months work lined up for July. The school runs throughout the summer. I kind of figured if I got stuck into the job there might be a chance to get work in August too.
Just finished my second week of work. The other staff working on the Juniors course are fun. We have kids aged 14 to 16. Theoretically the maximum class size is 12. This is great when it is report writing time. In my morning class I ended up with 10 students - 7 from Spain, 1 Mexican who lives in Italy, 2 more Italians and a Russian. We have had a good time in the last week debating which is the best country in the world, NZ of course!
In my second class I only had 8 students - 2 Italians, 4 Spanish, 1 Turkish and 1 Danish. Classes with them involved project work and preparing for a drama afternoon. They chose to write a drama based on an old Spanish story - The Celestina which translates to the Procuress. Or after a revision or two an evil cupid who tries to make as much money as possible with little regard to the outcome of the relationships she helps to set up. The script was written by the students with very little help from me. With 9 scenes I was impressed with their ability to memorise all the lines with only a couple of days rehearsal. We were awarded a prize for the best drama and the best actress! This was fitting as the actress was the key author of the story.
Some students have gone home this weekend and new ones will arrive tomorrow. With any luck my new classes will be the same kind of level as the previous ones. In the intermediate to upper intermediate range. This means they can usually understand the instructions you give them in class pretty well. Not sure how I would cope with the Elementary level students. I have had an observation in the last week which went well. It was kind of nice that before the observation I was offered work for August too! It took the pressure off a bit.
A big part of the job is the social programme. Each afternoon there are two activities and the same in the evening. On Saturday's there are day trips, usually to London or Oxford. Sunday afternoons there are also activities. As with teaching in NZ, I have enjoyed my involvement in these activities outside the classroom. Even in London last weekend when the Tour de France started! There were thousands of people. It was inevitable that people would get lost and they did. Eventually we rounded everyone up before lunch. It is not easy when the roads are shut off. What we would do without cellphones, I don't know.
Things are busy here at the internet cafe so time to go.
Just finished my second week of work. The other staff working on the Juniors course are fun. We have kids aged 14 to 16. Theoretically the maximum class size is 12. This is great when it is report writing time. In my morning class I ended up with 10 students - 7 from Spain, 1 Mexican who lives in Italy, 2 more Italians and a Russian. We have had a good time in the last week debating which is the best country in the world, NZ of course!
In my second class I only had 8 students - 2 Italians, 4 Spanish, 1 Turkish and 1 Danish. Classes with them involved project work and preparing for a drama afternoon. They chose to write a drama based on an old Spanish story - The Celestina which translates to the Procuress. Or after a revision or two an evil cupid who tries to make as much money as possible with little regard to the outcome of the relationships she helps to set up. The script was written by the students with very little help from me. With 9 scenes I was impressed with their ability to memorise all the lines with only a couple of days rehearsal. We were awarded a prize for the best drama and the best actress! This was fitting as the actress was the key author of the story.
Some students have gone home this weekend and new ones will arrive tomorrow. With any luck my new classes will be the same kind of level as the previous ones. In the intermediate to upper intermediate range. This means they can usually understand the instructions you give them in class pretty well. Not sure how I would cope with the Elementary level students. I have had an observation in the last week which went well. It was kind of nice that before the observation I was offered work for August too! It took the pressure off a bit.
A big part of the job is the social programme. Each afternoon there are two activities and the same in the evening. On Saturday's there are day trips, usually to London or Oxford. Sunday afternoons there are also activities. As with teaching in NZ, I have enjoyed my involvement in these activities outside the classroom. Even in London last weekend when the Tour de France started! There were thousands of people. It was inevitable that people would get lost and they did. Eventually we rounded everyone up before lunch. It is not easy when the roads are shut off. What we would do without cellphones, I don't know.
Things are busy here at the internet cafe so time to go.
Spain highlights
Will try and keep this short.
1. America's Cup Village, Valencia. It was awesome joining all the other Kiwi's in Valencia to cheer on Emirates Team NZ. Caught the first weekend of action. Proudly wore large souvenir NZ flags, even after the loss in the first race. Was photographed for a Finnish newspaper. Obviously a disappointing result in the end.
2. Temple de Bod, Madrid. I would recommend visiting the temple at dusk. Emily's local knowledge was a bonus on this occasion.
3, Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. Includes work by Picasso, Dali, Velazquez, Goya, Gaudi etc. I think we spent nearly two hours here. Long enough to soak in some of the artwork but obviously you would need to spend days to really do it justice.
4. Madrid Vision. The open topped bus tour. As in London this was a good way to see a lot of Madrid in a short time. Unfortunately the commentary wasn't great. Warning: overhanging branches may knock your head off. Like around England, pruning is not of high importance. I think they rely on the double decker buses to take care of the job. Seems bizarre because not a day goes by where there is not mention of restrictions due to health and safety concerns!
5. Spanish Tortilla - this should be higher up the list I think. It is basically an omelette with potato, not flat bread as you might expect. Very nice when made well. Often served in a baguette which makes a good breakfast!
Had a good time in Spain. A nice place to travel because although I don't know the language many words are recognisable. Will have to make time to go back and see more of the country.
1. America's Cup Village, Valencia. It was awesome joining all the other Kiwi's in Valencia to cheer on Emirates Team NZ. Caught the first weekend of action. Proudly wore large souvenir NZ flags, even after the loss in the first race. Was photographed for a Finnish newspaper. Obviously a disappointing result in the end.
2. Temple de Bod, Madrid. I would recommend visiting the temple at dusk. Emily's local knowledge was a bonus on this occasion.
3, Museo de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid. Includes work by Picasso, Dali, Velazquez, Goya, Gaudi etc. I think we spent nearly two hours here. Long enough to soak in some of the artwork but obviously you would need to spend days to really do it justice.
4. Madrid Vision. The open topped bus tour. As in London this was a good way to see a lot of Madrid in a short time. Unfortunately the commentary wasn't great. Warning: overhanging branches may knock your head off. Like around England, pruning is not of high importance. I think they rely on the double decker buses to take care of the job. Seems bizarre because not a day goes by where there is not mention of restrictions due to health and safety concerns!
5. Spanish Tortilla - this should be higher up the list I think. It is basically an omelette with potato, not flat bread as you might expect. Very nice when made well. Often served in a baguette which makes a good breakfast!
Had a good time in Spain. A nice place to travel because although I don't know the language many words are recognisable. Will have to make time to go back and see more of the country.
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