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Back from the dead
Jul. 8th, 2012 09:25 pmI seem to have lost a lot of my taste for writing. I don't know what this is, I think it's partly due to facebook, partly due to the fact that after seeming to wait for so many years for life to begin I am finally living it and partly fear because I have been neglecting writing. It's not that I don't enjoy it, it's just I allow things to atrophy.
So a short summary of the last 3 months:
Have been neglecting Russian.
there was a fearful moment in March when I was worried that my contract wouldn't be renewed as apparently a lot of students were leaving my classes. While I take some responsibility I think it was also bad luck. Happily it is renewed and I'll be doing another 9 month stint. I intend to go freelance after that as I can make more money.
In April I did IELTS examiner training. This means that lucky students who want to go to English speaking countries to live or study have to be graded by me. I scared someone in the pub by going Mwahahahahaha!
I was also the judge for the "Internationa Good Luck competition", a talent show for kids which also assesses their English skills. there were kids from all over the CIS, the winner was a lad from the south who was a great conjurer but my favourite was a little girl from Belarus who did Irish dancing.
Saw the victory day celebrations which had TANKS!!!! Most exciting.
Had a couple of trips away, to Tula and Saw Tolstoy's estate which was sublime (and I heard to cookoo for the first time in some years) and Tula itself was most fetching. Also St Petersburg, I couchsurfed with a girl from an Old Petersburg family. Her grandmother was a lookout during the siege and apparently used to find butchered corpses quite frequently.
Worked for two weeks in Fethiye, Turkey in a summer camp with kids. It was stressful, our director couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery and the parents kept interfering. There were some cool things but I am never, ever going to do anything like that with her again! turkey was cool however.
Now I am in England. Weather aside I am glad, For some time I have been feeling an ache to be at home and I can't define it. I will be doing some ad hoc work until I return in August.
Life on the whole is pretty good. I am not sure I still want to be teaching but it's ok for now. Even as I long for England I feel estranged from it, My country no longer reflects the things I believe in. It is rotten. Russia is too but at least it's honest about it. On a more mundane note I have a job which I can't see any liklihood of getting in Britain. I want to move into Museum work but I need to save up first.
So a short summary of the last 3 months:
Have been neglecting Russian.
there was a fearful moment in March when I was worried that my contract wouldn't be renewed as apparently a lot of students were leaving my classes. While I take some responsibility I think it was also bad luck. Happily it is renewed and I'll be doing another 9 month stint. I intend to go freelance after that as I can make more money.
In April I did IELTS examiner training. This means that lucky students who want to go to English speaking countries to live or study have to be graded by me. I scared someone in the pub by going Mwahahahahaha!
I was also the judge for the "Internationa Good Luck competition", a talent show for kids which also assesses their English skills. there were kids from all over the CIS, the winner was a lad from the south who was a great conjurer but my favourite was a little girl from Belarus who did Irish dancing.
Saw the victory day celebrations which had TANKS!!!! Most exciting.
Had a couple of trips away, to Tula and Saw Tolstoy's estate which was sublime (and I heard to cookoo for the first time in some years) and Tula itself was most fetching. Also St Petersburg, I couchsurfed with a girl from an Old Petersburg family. Her grandmother was a lookout during the siege and apparently used to find butchered corpses quite frequently.
Worked for two weeks in Fethiye, Turkey in a summer camp with kids. It was stressful, our director couldn't organise a pissup in a brewery and the parents kept interfering. There were some cool things but I am never, ever going to do anything like that with her again! turkey was cool however.
Now I am in England. Weather aside I am glad, For some time I have been feeling an ache to be at home and I can't define it. I will be doing some ad hoc work until I return in August.
Life on the whole is pretty good. I am not sure I still want to be teaching but it's ok for now. Even as I long for England I feel estranged from it, My country no longer reflects the things I believe in. It is rotten. Russia is too but at least it's honest about it. On a more mundane note I have a job which I can't see any liklihood of getting in Britain. I want to move into Museum work but I need to save up first.
