Lots and lots and looots has happened since I last posted about my changing taste buds (or tast, come on people, correct me when I can't spell the most basic words). So we'll start from the beginning. Actually no, I'll try to give dates and such, or not.
So firstly, I want to mention, that with great sadness, I mourn the loss of my jaunty cap. I am quite sad to say that it became lost in the ether on my way to work one day (more on that later.) I do recall removing the hat from my over-stuffed coat pocket, but I have no recollection of placing said hat upon my head to keep my earsies warm. And this hat was quite lovely indeed. It was black, almost like a beret, but not quite. It was cozy and covered my ears nicely and made me look quite Parisian. Though that Parisian-ness was lost if your eyes were to gaze upon my "Swedish Cheeks" (because I'm Swedish) and because my cheeks turn bright pink in the cold Prague day. Needless to say, I am quite upset, and had to resort to "the babushka" a few times recently, because my floppy earlobes couldn't handle the cold. There is only one teensy, weensy bit of photographic evidence of said hat.
And to express how genuinely upset I was at the loss of the hat, I will tell you that I downloaded above photo off of a friends facebook and edited it for size and clarity. Cause seriously folks, I'm upset.Yet, beyond the loss of my silly hat, I'm actually quite happy. And you'll be shocked to find, that I am quite surprised at my current level of contented-ness. Well, surprised isn't the right word, more, startled. I didn't think things would workout for me quite this quickly, and that's something really fantastic. I was very sad that many of my new friends from the course would be leaving. But then again, they were off to have their own adventures, and we all need that from time to time.
So I have a calendar in my hands, and I know how to use it. Well, kind of. I already told you about Bratislava and its wonders. So I'd like to talk a bit about the course, and next time (soon, I promise) I'll talk a bit about my current life in Prague.
And now, for your reading pleasure . . . a list! (because I do love them so).
1. Children are really easily amused, and yet . . . not so much. A puppet can captivate, a song enthrall, and markers wreak havoc.
2. In my metaphor for life I stomp on my small problems to hear them crack (the sound of a twig breaking). I fully examine and climb over my big problems, usually resulting in some damage (like climbing over a fallen tree). I am apparently conservative (to which I replied "NO!" because I chose the right hand direction in the woods). I hide from encounters with the opposite sex, explaining my shyness with men (like an encounter with a bear). And lastly, my death will be un-pretty and involve taunting. Seriously.
3. Phonology is actually really fun (no, seriously, I wish I had worked harder on my IPA in college).
4. Conditionals are a fantastic way of talking about desperation in a relationship: "If you leave me I don't know how I will survive."
5. If you allow your students to write your horoscope, they will predict some quite amusing things: You will meet an old friend (In Prague, where my definition of old friend would be . . . huh?). You will meet a man, you will fall in love, you will get married. Sweet!
6. Nesmysl means nonsense in Czech.
7. Irish (Irish Gaelic) is way cool.
8. We all have Multiple Intelligences, In a score out of 20 I ranked
Musical: 20 (uh, duh)
Linguistic: 17 (but shouldn't I be a better writer?)
Interpersonal: 17 (which means I know how to deal well with others)
Visual-Spatial: 14 (which maybe means I can draw, but I can't, so maybe take pictures, or organize a room?)
Kinaesthetic: 10 (are we suprised?
Intrapersonal: 9 (I deal fine with others, just not with myself)
Logical-Mathematical: 7 (I think Mr. Butler, my Senior Year Math Teacher said it best, "Janine, how come you're not as good at math as your younger brother?)
9. And to finish . . . an amusing stole quote from part of a practice test, that is apparently stolen from an e-mail forward.
"His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a tumble dryer."
(the test was about verb forms).
And in addressing my apparent lack of self-awareness, I would like to quote Michael Scott (the Office): "I can't really explain it. He's always up in my business. Which is ebonics for being in my face and annoying the bejesus out of me. I don't understand how someone could have so little self awareness."
And yet, after the silly self-awareness tests, and counting the number of smiley faces I received in my feedback sheet, and trying to figure out if the look on my tutors' faces as I taught was out of disgust, confusion or just indigestion . . . I'm done. And I'm not just done. I'm done and I'm teaching, I have a job, I am teacher. And while forever and ever, I thought teaching was "not the thing for me". I distinctly recall Dr. B laughing at the very notion of my teaching. Here I am.
And this course, while full of the necessary teacher jargon, and silly feedback, and what will I work on next time; and the days when I felt so discouraged I was beyond recognition, and allowed my horrid mood to show through to the students, and nearly cried in front of the class . . . I made it. And I like to think, that in some way, I'm at least a decent enough teacher to have a job. And that maybe the students walk away with more understanding. (and granted, my teaching English across the world says a lot about globalisation but that's for another time). And sometimes they laugh at me, and sometimes I laugh at them, and it's good. Really good.
So I'm happy. And done with course.
Next time on Janine's blogging extravaganza . . . Magel dances multiple nights away, plays hungover tourist and gets herself a jobby-job.
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