A long overdue update

I think I'm due a long overdue update so where do I begin?!

August and September departures and arrivals - September was one of the worst months for me as both Withnail and Irish C have departed from Jakarta. Irish C's departure was hastened by the tragic passing of his mother. I know he will be back soon but I do miss his Irish charm in the staffroom. My dear Withnail left Jakarta on the day Doc arrived so my sadness was mixed with joy and butterflies. I have no one to bitch about how crap Man United to (apart from Doc of course!) He is now living it up in Italy. S left Jakarta  just over a week before Withnail, her effervescence is missed at workshops. So with departures come arrivals. I have new housemates who are sound and bubbly and have brought back the house spirit. Lovely Irish lass called B and larger than life Welsh dude Veruca arrived in August after during Eid-ul-Fitri. Myself, Manc C and Lola - housemate since April, I don't think I've mentioned her before on here - are very happy with our house. We also got Kent L, a newbie who used to live somewhere else but now lives with replacing The Weird One.

About The Weird One - I don't think I've ever mentioned him before but my now ex housemate was quite a  strange man and from what I understand not a good teacher. He recently got the sack and if I'm being honest I will not miss him because he creeped the shit out of me and Lola, not to mention he always left the kitchen in a terrible state.

Beginners *smh* - At the moment, I am teaching adult beginners Business English and it is probably the most frustrating thing ever. One of the  things with learning a new language is to practice the language so that it remains fresh; however, this advice gets lost in translation. I rarely teach adult beginners so it is something very new and challenging. I feel patronising speaking slowly to adults but if I spoke at normal rate I would get the usual 'Apa?' which is not a good thing if my students can't understand me. I think if I did a CELTA course then I would be fully prepared for situations like this one I'm in. I also despise the textbook being used, it utterly shite!

The IWB is my friend - The Interactive Whiteboard brings my lessons to life. It works a treat especially with my young classes. I am not a proficient user by any stretch of the imagination but it has saved a couple of dire lessons. Totally recommend it for ESL teaching.

Being in Charge - This week saw me doing two very senior things. First one was invigilating TOEIC exams taken by a corporate class I used to teach. It has to be the most boring thing I have ever done n my entire life. In fact, I'd rather sit the exam. And now I have to mark the papers,UGH!!! The second thing I had to do was organizing the school's Spelling Bee as the DOS and senior teacher were off doing courses. I had to co-ordinate the teachers and staff and mark paper plus also take responsibility for any fuck ups. Thankfully, things went smoothly because everything was so well organized.

Flores for Christmas -  I will be spending Christmas on the island of Flores with the J's. I am super excited about this as Flores is another island that I've heard nothing but good things. It is the gateway to the island of Komodo to see the famous Komodo Dragons. Flores is a beautiful island and I can't wait to explore it!

Before I forget - I got a Band 4 in the Teaching Knowledge Test. Band 4 is the highest by the way so GO ME!

That's all that's new with me! Stay tuned for more updates.