Yeah, that's right, we have FOUR more days of classes! I have two more lessons to teach (one on the present perfect tense and one on reading) and then I am done! Christine and I will be qualified to teach English internationally, and we actually feel prepared enough to do it! I am so glad I didn't know just how difficult this program would be, but now that I have been through it I am proud to say I did. I have never had so much information crammed into my head in a one month period! I analyze language like its my job....oh wait, it is!
We went out to the pub last night with our students and the other trainees, and once again drank heartily and bonded. We are having a CELTA graduation party at our flat next week on our last night and plan on decorating and going out in a big way. There are definitely some people in our program who are more fun than others, but overall we have no bad seeds. And of course, most of them have lovely accents. The funny thing is they mimic US all the time, what a role-reversal huh?
This week I moved down to the elementary class and I am enjoying it immensely. It is not nearly as stressful, seeing as the course material isn't as difficult, so I can contain the flock of butterflies procreating in my stomach. I feel as though the elementary level students are more rewarding for me as a teacher because you can HEAR them getting better every day! The intermediate are already great speakers, you are just fine-tuning their grammar. I have also been observing 'real' teachers in the mornings, and I have gotten to stay with the same class of all Saudi Arabian students. They are EXTREME elementary level students and I find that the teacher has such a more relaxed and flexible schedule. I really enjoy the Saudi students too, perhaps I will have to go there??? They are a bit on the flirty/inappropriate side however, but I guess that means they will listen to me more?
Now Christine and I are planning our post-Edinburgh adventures, something that seemed infinitely far away just last week. I have booked hostels for Inverness and Christine has our ferry tickets to Belfast. I am buying our tickets to Prague tomorrow, as well as our Madrid ones. We think that, from about mid-March on, we will stay in Spain for a while and work under the table. Beth and her lovely two sisters will be there and there is an unbelievable demand for English teachers. Apparently our CELTA certificate that we're receiving (like the TEFL but more competitive) will give us higher pay and first shot at the good jobs. Financially, we can't afford to not work for very long, especially with so much travelling ahead. I of course am excited to be forced to practice my Spanish all the time, so Spain will be a good hub for us. We do want to leave Europe though, in time, but perhaps not until summer. Our hearts still are pointed towards Southeast Asia, but perhaps mine has never left South America.....I mean, who could say no to living in Buenos Aires for seven months? Certainly not me.
So, we are trying to enjoy our last full weekend in Edinburgh, though our looming fourth and final assignment awaits as well as our lesson plans for next week (which are for the first time totally created by us with no help from our tutors). We will be sad to leave this place and will miss seeing the mythical castle that sits on the sharp, craggy rocks above us, but then again, the castle in Prague will make a fine replacement :-)
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