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"If You Can Read This, Then Thank A Primary School Teacher!"

2012-01-16T11:53:00.008+08:00

The title of this post was the Teachers' Union slogan for better conditions in Australian Primary Schools. The message is poignantly true, as much so now as then.

For the weeks over this years Christmas break and beyond I have been in the Beluleng province of North Bali in a village called Les, approximately thirty kilometres east of Singaraja, following the coast road that goes around the island. Though Les is rather remote from Legian and Kuta it is easily accessible if you have the time. What has 'saved' Les though from the unplanned invasion of mass tours is this same remoteness in the minds of the majority. Here is an unspoiled Balinese village of some 8000 or so persons. The traditional way of village life marks each day. At approximately 4.30am the Temple priests call the community to prayer and the treck to the daily fresh food market begins for both buyers and sellers. Refridgeration in private homes is pretty much unknown and food is purchassed 'as needed' for that days meals. The first session of school [there are five Primary Schools in the lower village]begins at 7am followed by afternoon school at 1pm. The older children go by Bimo at 6.30am to a nearby village for either Vocational or Junior and Senior Secondary school.

Les has one [ 4 star ] homestay

and a near zero western population. What it does have though is enormous potential for a laid back, comfortable, off the track time out break, with walks, swiming/snorkeling, massages, and tuition in cultural activities and Balinese cooking readily available. Local English speaking guides are contracted to More. 'More' homestay is a joint venture between a Balinese family and the Australian Ethical and Green Foundation, the latter donate their share of income back to the village education fund. So your patronage creates and supports jobs as well as aiding education in the village. www.homestaybali.com

Les also has a 'top village' again there is a Primary School but due to the remoteness and the one hour walk up and down 30degree jungle tracks these children are effectively excluded from going to Secondary School.

The village have an ambitious plan to build a Junior [and later a Senior]secondary school in the Top Village. Work by parents has already begun though currently it is stalled by lack of funds. The Ethical and Green Foundation is working on behalf of the village to attract the necessary funds to ensure its completion and the chance for these children to compete educationally.

My tasks over these last weeks have been associated with the school building, hosting embassadors from such identities as Rotary International, as well as establishing the foundations bona fides with local government. Each of these activities has been successful in its own way.

Have YOU ever thought of volunteering, giving of your time and expertise to help others less fortunate than yourself? The rewards are huge. Apart from knowing that what you are doing will transform the lives of others there are the new understandings that come into your life, the friendships and the experiences that you could never expect to have.

The Ethical and Green Foundation will be seeking volunteers to join our programmes in Bali in 2012. Contact us for more information if you have a genuine interest.
email me at harrycs@englishexplorer.net.au

The Gold Fish Bowl, now looking outwards

2012-01-16T10:23:00.006+08:00

INSIDE THE BOWL, LOOKING OUT.
My Sincere thanks go to Made, Ketut and their extended families, who have made everything possible. "Jaga diri baik baik ya".

Way back in the late eighties I had my first trip to Indonesia. Our travel agent, back in the days pre internet, booked us in at Sanur and on arrival we set about some exploring. It did not take long to realise that we were on the geriatrics side of the island [as it was then] but too late. We did get to see Kuta though, as well as Ubud, before flying to Surabaya in Java and then by the night train to Jakarta, another bus to Yokyakarta a side trip to Burabudurr and bus again back to Bali, all over a two week period. Add being drugged and robbed on the night bus from Yogyakarta and you have a massive adventure for non speakers of Bahasa, on their first Indonesian experience. Fast forward over the next twenty five years covering double back packing circumnavigations of Java, plus more back packing expeditions to Sulawesi, West New Guinea, Raja Ampat Archepelago-SCUBA dive cruising, Molucus Islands, Sumba, Sumbawa, Flores, Lombok, Gilli Islands [pre modern discovery], Summatra and the Banyak Archipelago as well as Nias. Throw in a dangerous amount of ability with Indonesian phrases of the “I want/need” variety and that was the picture until around 2008. Very much Indophyles but still standing outside of and looking into the fish bowl.
About 2007 Cindy, a close friend, leased the top floor living unit of a Balinese family’s home and so began over the next year or so the transition into the bowl. Cindy has regular shift ‘swings’ from her mining job in WA, so the Bali unit became her base. I also have had for the last few years regular business trips to Java. Passing through and stopping off in Bali became a habit and so relationships with Made and Ketut, [owners of the family home] as well as their close and extended family developed. Over a period of time I learned their respective stories. In short both of them literally walked away, as twelve [Madi] and fifteen [Ketut] year olds, from their anticipated future of drudgery, poverty, ill health and short lives from dry land farming in an impoverished village. Made had completed only four years of school. After overcoming great heart ache and homesickness, in the following years - over time -they learned second and even third languages, started two businesses and made good. They have now, after years of struggle, become successful business identities in Kuta. They visit Les, [in North East Bali] their home village regularly throughout the year, especially for significant religious holidays. Over time I came to join them on such visits and also stayed in both parents’ homes. The ‘top village’ where Made lived as a girl is around an hour’s hard walk up a thirty degree incline. Not for the faint hearted. As a nine year old she went down each day to get to Primary school and often made a second round trip when she took produce to market and other food home before school. She also had her own secret business, collecting and selling both river sand and firewood. She buried the money in a secret stash. This was her stake money which enabled her to leave some years later. Hard work before and after school as well as on weekends was normal life. Nowadays the top village does have a Primary School- but available education finishes at around the age of twelve. The costs associated with sending children to either junior secondary school or vocational high school are beyond reality for most. The cost would often be more than a whole family in the top village survives on for a year!

And so with enough Bahasa Indonesia language skills to be getting comfortable, as well as the entrée to a Balinese family; with their close friendship I have began to move to the inside of the bowl ----and to walk a different pathway from my tourist days. I have now visited the top village many times, eaten and slept there. Also celebrated a birthday there, with an extended family of fifty or so persons. Chatting under light provided by diesel soaked rags in bamboo torches that evening and feeling inclusive, was memorable. I am now personally and awkwardly aware by my small experiences of the massive differences in what is normality in our respective lives. Each time I visit Les I can’t help but compare the differences there to the life that I know in Perth. It’s a complex and tangled series of emotions- that get more tangled as time goes by! My material possessions are infinitely greater, the enigma for me begins with the ready smile and the genuine affection that comes forth. The acceptance of what is and the strength of the bonds between family units and extended family-to allay the cynics, I need to say right now, my wife and I do not give hand outs. Our philanthropy is via the village council and is aimed at infrastructure, such as supporting the village plan to build a junior secondary school in the top village. We have built, in equal partnership with Made and Ketut, two extremely comfortable and well equipped Homestay units on the top of their family dwelling. There are superb views of both hills and ocean from them, the beach is five minutes away. Here it is possible to experience life in an unspoiled village, whilst being underpinned by four star western comforts. Visitors’ patronage provides a cash flow back to the village through support services and our 50% of the income goes back into village education. See www.homestaybali.com The dilemma is seeing with eyes that are not clouded by modern western values. What interest is it in Les that the ASX has gone up or down? Yet having an ability with English language will make it possible for those in the village to seek work which is not poorly paid manual labour. Education is the key to their future, no matter where they may choose to live. Made knows from bitter experience, with no school certificate she could only find basic ‘drudge’ work as a teenager. [Hear Made describe her childhood with no education http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsD0FZ_Yr6A ]
Difficult choices abound for us all as we develop an on going relationship with the Les community. A Cargo Cult mentality readily comes from hand outs and has no underpinning stability, we must all look to sustainable development owned and driven by the community. Infrastructure such as a school is something that will benefit generations, not just titillate the present. Look no further than Australia to see how to destroy an indigenous people with hand outs and no underpinning of beliefs, values and self respect.
There is much to assimilate, new values to understand, new bureaucracies to grapple with, different customs and mores to appreciate. Our journey inside the fish bowl, is just beginning. Our fledgling foundation, ‘Ethical and Green’ and the like minded persons who form its management group are one of our avenues www.ethicalandgreen.org

Helen Chats 3

2011-06-13T00:38:00.002+08:00

Travelling through Spain has been quite a surprise to both of us. We had not expected such a large country with such diverse scenery. We drove just over 3000 kilometers, had only two wet days, a welcome distraction listening to the gentle patter of raindrops on the windscreen, no complaints from us-after six dry winters in a row and the current one going the same way- about not being able to get out of the car and take photos!!

We watched hawks hovering in the air streams waiting for either a juicy treat in the ground or another air stream to help them soar above the rocks and gain an even better view of the ground below.

The rock formations were quite spectacular- some covered in trees and others standing barefaced making silent guardians of the caves and holes just waiting to be explored yet visible from the road.

The landscape constantly changed with the rocks moving seamlessly into mountains and then around the corner into great massive plains of agricultural significance. These great plains of Spain whilst unfenced and unpopulated by either man or beast were impressive and sort of remind us of Australian landscapes. I was reliably informed at one stage that there was rubbish wild oats growing in profusion on the road verge and these would later present a serious fire hazard, unless controlled--and who am I to question farmer Harry?

Every now and then the fields/paddocks/large agriculture spaces were planted with sunflowers, by the acres. Just imagine the brilliance of these beautiful flowers in bloom, hundreds, nay thousands and thousands of happy sunny faces all moving around as they follow the sun!

We saw acres/hectares/dunaams/haras whichever measurement means more to you, of olives-hardly describable as groves-but as far as the eye could see at almost 350 degrees the grey foliage of olive trees, although somewhat strangely pruned. Harry's type of pruning-chain sawed through the middle to encourage low growing branches with quite prolific olive bearing branches the result.

Of course we also saw almonds, orange and cherry trees- all you would expect from a Mediterranean climate- yet unexpectedly prolific. Most of the agricultural land looked to be very fertile [no stock fences proved its value] so it came as a surprise to see so many abandoned farm house and buildings. These had been built in stone and it was a wonder that they had been just left to rot and decay. Signs of small farm consolidation?

There were many road signs indicating the presence of deer and also a strange looking cow that Harry felt was quite definitely a cow crossed with a donkey, as it was so badly drawn -and had proliferated everywhere, but we saw no signs of either on the roads and certainly no sign of the former on restaurant menus.

Amongst the agricultural landscapes we were very impressed by the Spanish uses of alternative energy. Numerous windfarms, and on the way into Barcelona there appeared to be a hundred of these strong silent guardians of the future, silently bingeing power to the people. And just as impressive were the solar panel farms we drove past and we also guessed from their locations that they were small private enterprises. Seeing a country with similar climate to ours making such good use of natural resources was most reassuring. the solar farms were outside of towns and it was indeed strange, but gratifying, to see hundreds of solar panels sucking in power from the sun.

Our days of driving were in huge contrast with each other--one day of vast plains and bare rocks and olives and the last big day of driving when I overturned the decision of Minnie the nav satty tom tom thingo and directed us through a very long and winding road from Toledo to Zaragoza. The route we took was of alpine beauty- hairpin bends and zig zagging roads, mountains on either side and a river meandering alongside the road--which of course must have been filled with fish waiting to be caught and either eaten or thrown back!! Harry's day dreaming here included he and Drew(his son) camping and poaching deep within the forests!! and often between the road and the river nestled amongst the trees would be tiny strips of verdant grass-great fodder for the deer we never saw. This was a day of driving that will stay fresh within our memories for some time--certainly a place to return to and explore.

Our last few hours of driving into Barcelona's airport reminded us of the fantastic quality of roads throughout Spain--we had driven a little over 3000 km in just over 2 weeks-the road surfaces were smooth, even the less significant of roads were easy driving, speed limits were barely adhered to, what traffic there was flowed fast-very fast! and smooth and despite any financial crises in Spain currently, there was much appearance of continued road building.

More to follow about the Southern towns.

And that’s all from him and all from me……
Helen Bryant

Helen Chats-No 2

2011-05-30T20:46:00.004+08:00

It is 8pm and we are doing what any self respecting Spaniard does this early in the evening. Sitting over a glass of pre-prandial alcohol !!!!
This lifestyle suits me!! Afternoon siesta--none of this power napping or even afternoon shluf- an unadulterated unadorned afternoon siesta!! Followed by a late night and not too early morning!!! I’d be interested though to know if there is such a thing as a ‘Country Comparative Productivity Index’ and if so Spain’s ranking? I’ll Google that later.
We are now in a little seaside town called Cambrils which we stumbled on quite by chance.
Our beloved but well disputed over TomTom affectionately known as ‘Moaning Minny ‘ or Minnie for short was abandoned after we left the outskirts of Barcelona on Monday afternoon and we allowed ourselves the luxury of wandering uninterrupted by her totally ghastly Spanish pronunciation. Each time she tries to tell us the name of a street we giggle as her computerized English accent makes a total mess up of the Spanish names- so much so that we cant quite work out what she is saying. However she has made driving through Barcelona quite stress free--although she doesn't seem to recognize one way streets! A touch hazardous!
So here we are ensconced in a beautiful town nestled alongside the Mediterranean for a couple of days- doing very little other than soaking in the atmosphere and relaxing. In a couple of weeks this town will be throbbing with sun seekers, humming with discos and nightlife and totally impossible to find any peace or space.
We have enjoyed tapas most evenings although a tad difficult for me, [Harry has no inhibitions and a very open mind re food] with having to dodge pork products and shellfish-but the sardines are lovely as is the cheese and tuna so I am doing well.
Barcelona
We spent a magic two days using the hop on hop off bus system to see as much as possible in such a short time. We both fell in love with the amazing architecture- I adored the Gaudi buildings and spent some time later inside the Pedreras. We ate well on the recommendation of our rather lovely night time concierges-Manuel accents but that was the only resemblance! The restaurant that we went to on Saturday evening was particularly great eating. Up a tiny street, down a tiny alley and then down some steep steps and don't go before 9pm as it's not open. Menu in Spanish and the owner/maitre d'hotel/waiter does not speak English!!! All the makings of a disastrous evening that turned into a meal that will remain truly memorable. We had the most divine dinner. Possibly the best steak ever. Started with olive oil tasting of three different olive oils and then moved on to steak cooked to perfection and served with a "tasting plate" of several different rock salts- smoked, lemon, mushroom, volcanic and ordinary. I ordered my by now customary sangria but it came in a one litre jug!!!
During the evening there was a comment at the next table about my nail polish colours which led to us being invited to share a glass of champagne sangria-very drinkable.
The waiter/owner was very cute-beautiful Spanish dark hair and eyes, certainly adding to the charm of the evening!

Watched the FA cup final - a boring game BUT not enhanced by an incomprehensible Spanish commentary. Sunday was an enchanting day-one of those coincidences that makes you sure that there is no such thing as coincidence. Our very dear friends the xxxxxx from Philadelphia were in Barcelona the same day as us and so we spent 24 hours of quality time together. The plan was for a day trip to Girona, birth place of a very famous mediaeval Rabbi called Nachmanides-- and of course in company of "our" Rabbi it was a great pleasure. Over lunch B….. taught us a famous Nachmanides talmudic interpretation of the the first words of the Bible.
Girona is a lovely old town and was on its final day of a protracted flower festival with a theme that was none too obvious. Most of the arrangements were very faded, quite a few seemed quite obscure and they were everywhere taking over from the sights of the town. In the court of Nachmanides Great Yeshiva (school ) we heard the tail end of a live concert and basked in the Spring sunshine in a place of historical importance to Jews all over the world. It was indeed sad that despite what wasa called the Golden Age of Spain and the amazing relationship Jews had with Spain prior to the Spanish Inquisition under Isabel and Fernando in 1492. there was little on display and even less obvious that once Jews had had such a huge influence in Girona as well as Spain generally. ; about 100,000 Jews were forcibly converted to Catholicism (later known as conversos) and about 200,000 Jews left for other countries. I guess the Inquisition did its job very effectively and very efficiently. In the courtyard of the Nachmanides Yeshiva/Jewish museum is a statue of Christopher Columbus- whose expedition was financed by Isabel and Fedinand--was he of Jewish origins?????? well there are those who say he was and those who say he was not. But he certainly was comfortable in their presence—as he had a Jew as one of his right hand men on his great expedition.
We lingered in Girona and then meandered alongside the Mediterranean back to Barcelona, had a meal in one of the small sea side towns along the way. ‘Minny’ managed to find all the one way roads ( going the wrong way) back to our hotel but eventually between the 3 of us we got back. We met our American friends for breakfast and a quick peek at the markets. I have many photos of the amazing way the locals use every part of an animal, the various organs as well as types of tripe [Harry was very enlightening about Rumen, Reticulum, Omasum and Abomasum—yuck!] -the imagination did not quite go so far as to devise scrummy recipes with any of those ingredients. However the array of cheeses, CHOCOLATES,candied and dried fruit,CHERRIES, and fresh fruit was eye candy of the best type.

Sadly we bade our American friends farewell and then set our sights at Cordoba and the Major TEFL Conference to be held there a few days hence . More snippets to follow .

"Thats all from him and thats all from me"

Helen (Helen Bryant)

Helen Chats - No 1.

2011-05-18T13:30:00.003+08:00

We have now been on our way for a week so it is time to give you all an update.
The journey over was relatively stress free- a longer than expected wait at Singapore airport- [Melbourne feeder flight delayed nearly an hour and a half, so we lost our slot and were then near two hours late], and a somewhat tedious coach journey from London to Leeds.
Enjoyed travelling in the new A380-especially the take off, which was shown in real time on the video screen via a camera on the back tail(at the apex thereof). It’s a REALLY monstrous plane and defies all logic of how it can get off the ground. Yes I do know the physics pertaining and it still amazes me. Question: These rules have always been there, it was just the learning curve that was lacking. How many more rules exist that we don’t yet understand? How many other possibilities are waiting? “Beam me up Scotty!”
The run to take off down the runway seemed just too long, you know how you get “that Feeling” that says ok lift off—well I had it for quite a bit longer before we did in fact lift. The old 747’s used to shake as they approached final take off speed, this craft does too, in a much more genteel way but it does shake and rumble. In flight its like silk. Landing at Heathrow was also very genteel, just glided in and settled. The in flight camera is on all the time, so watching the sun rise over the curve of the globe was quite awesome.
London was looking very fine-clean buildings and a sense of goodwill-very few signs of the previous excitement of the weekend-except of course that the papers were full of photos and bits of gossip. I saw a brief headline whilst we were having breakfast at Heathrow about Osama bin Laden and then couldn’t find anything in the written press to confirm the ‘sad loss’ until we actually reached Leeds later in the day.
Whilst in Leeds we have mooched around the city for a day getting electronics organized for Europe (phones: bought SIM cards on QANTAS [boasted cheap roaming costs] which proved to be ‘useless’ lousy reception and unintelligible service operators with no customer focus. Frustrated we went to a Voda Phone store and they were magic.
We carry a computer- tablet for travel [light weight] and a 640gig extnl drive with our work files. Because the tablet does not sit permanently connected to www at home base, it had fallen well behind the Microsoft [XP] update patches. It has 2mgb of RAM, power saving settings, Nortons v5, defraged and cleaned up---still sssoooooo slow it was driving me/us mad. Did a deep- very deep, scan…came up clean.
“Fish” at PC World in Leeds was the techo person you dream of. We were 24 Microsoft updates behind! With these onboard we were back top speed. Great guy, great service and cant speak too highly of our experience there.
Ipad: - NO you cannot have two apple accounts from the same ipad. If you want to share the machine, either you have one account and use one credit card or you buy a machine each. Steve, its not good user awareness or sensitivity for same. We have not enjoyed our ipad, Its doing what we want, but the learning curve is too full of hurdles. User manuals on line don’t cut it. 24 hour online help with a myriad leads also does not – unless you have nothing else to do and are eminently patient and servile.
Yes we bought extended Apple Care. On the Sunday morning before we left, in final desperation I tried to ring Apple re the mess caused by trying to run two purchase accounts. After an hour of frustration I rang our local new you beaut whizz bang Apple store. Well if ever Apple want bad press the young lady I encountered was eminently equipped to make sure they get it! Her message was in short, we are a retail store, we don’t give help by phone. Yes we have ‘experts’ here in the store, yes they are here now, no I wont call one to speak to you. No I cant/wont assist you……..hmmmmm……
Apple Care? = Don’t Care! ………….Yes please do quote me.
AND also quote me…..
“Fish” at PC World Leeds, is the sort of techo you dream about. Good on ya mate!

Helen still speaks…I decided on a haircut--why is it that hairdresser's all over the world have problems understanding the phrase "just a trim and keep the length"--and of course I am totally at their mercy cos once I have taken my glasses off and my bionics out I cant hear much and see even less!! Consequently all my efforts at growing my hair over the past 18 months has been undone!!
We went to a Janacek opera in Leeds which was well directed, well sung and very dark and depressing but an enjoyable experience. Had a fabulous Chinese meal courtesy of Ma, lovely afternoon tea with Ma and generally got over the lack of sleep from the last week in Perth and the trip here.
We have now just returned from a fantastic few days with my two school friends and their husbands in the Yorkshire Dales. It RAINED and we got WET--what a wonderful feeling after our –so far- six years of almost no ‘proper’ rain. Of course the green of the grass is amazing, the trees are a sort of yellowy green and the scenery great. The Dales are lined with dry stone walls almost as if put together for a jigsaw puzzle each piece of stone fitting on top of the next. Back breaking work for the farmers and others who built them. A period of English history that does not get much comment, The ‘enclosing’ following Henry’s [VIII] break up of the Monasteries.

Of course it gets dark quite late at this time of the year in the UK and we were able to take advantage of this by having long days-one evening we played a riotous game of "rapidough" which entails teams making prescribed objects out of playdough which have to be guessed by the "observers". I would like to report that the SMOGS (St Mary's Old Girls) won -but we didn’t. We also went down memory lane and try as hard as possible I couldn’t think of any inspiring teachers from our old school days-but these friendships certainly rank as the highest attainments from my grammar school days. Sally didn’t remember anything of cross country which I hated with a passion, but we suspect she was skulking in the change rooms hoping desperately that no-one would find her. I spoke well of orchestras and choral society and then reminisced about our mock general election at which I was the member representing the Communist party-I lost my deposit cos not even my friends would vote for me!!

I think the men were intrigued by the conversations and memories and enjoyed the shrieks of laughter that often peppered our chattering. [Not if you were trying to snooze off. By the noise those females were making -especially Helen- they should have been winning hands down!]

We visited castles with histories that went back to the 1400s and further and had teas and coffees and scones at every opportunity, walked a bit, ate a bit more and opened another bottle of wine, and another and another. A trip around the Wensleydale Creamery saw an influx of cheeses all accompanied by more wine!!
We stayed in a stone cottage originally built in 1670- beautifully kitted out with everything we needed-all the modern luxuries we expect in this day and age but set in an old cottage and built Pre Cook!
We visited a garden called "the forbidden corner" the quirkiest garden I have ever seen, with traps and statues, piddling boys, a gnome cricket match, frogs dancing in a fountain and the possibility of [you] getting wet at every corner from frogs that squirt you as you break a light beam etc. An arm sticking out of a brick wall, a teddy bears' picnic in the woods, witches and elves hovering in deep dungeons-a fantasy with imagination that was a wonder to behold and not for the faint hearted, or short skirted!

One intriguing UK innovation was the mobile post office!! A van with all the facilities of a post office which spends its days going from small town to small town, giving people with no access to postal services all the services they need. How amazing.

We did do some work. Apart from the fun we had, our group meeting was also of three teachers and two computer system gurus. But this posting is about breaking the mould and being travel chatty.

So “that all from him and that’s all from me”

Helen
(Helen Bryant)

WE TEACH and WE WRITE OUR OWN UNITS

2011-05-14T14:07:00.002+08:00

We have been active in our home city teaching Chinese meat workers on a weekly basis over the last five years. The families arrived with little or no English and it has been extremely gratifying in having guided them to, progressively, achieving driving licenses and then, most importantly their permanent residency based on English language ability under the rigorous IELTS testing regime.
These sorts of activities enable us to keep our TESOL units meaningful and relevant. We create all of our own learning units, based on real classroom experiences. We do not on sell off the shelf pre packed courses that have been around for years and are tired and need a funeral. When you phone us you speak to actual teachers not clerks working in an office selling on commission and have never set foot in a classroom!
Our work with these Chinese migrants has been made even more successful by two great well traveled and experienced Trainers Margaret and Aaron, who work with us under the direction of our Academic Director, Helen. [See our staff profiles on our home page--link is below].
Drop me a mail to harrycs@englishexplorer.net.au any time for a chat or SKYPE me at englishexplorer, or just go to www.tesolcertification.net and enrol with us on-line.

All of our training is on-line from Certificate to Advanced Diploma. We have trained thousands of students this way and we know from visits to their employers that our students excell since the course materail is fresh, proven and relevant.
Why would you not join our learning family and take your TESOL journey with us?

Harry

BARCELONA - Spain

2011-05-14T13:12:00.002+08:00

We flew here [Barcelona] from cold and grey Leeds in mid May. Arrived at Leeds/Bradford airport wearing several layers of clothing plus a heavy double skin "Polar" jacket, then braved the arctic wind to get to shelter of the terminal. The week before we had left a warm [25C] Perth in Western Australia! Brrrr.
However we quickly felt at home once we arrived in a much warmer Barcelona, around 25C--just like home!
On day one in a new location we try to find a city tour bus with a hop on/off facility, we then get the "full monty" painlessly- our best ever guide was in Dublin she was a real whit. Next we do our own on foot follow ups.
Yesterday we did three hours of bussing. Barcelona is very spread out and not walk friendly. It dates from a Roman Empire outpost and has developed in a rambling style up a series of hills. Firstly though we assuaged the caffiene demons with coffee and cake in La Rambla at a one hundred years of trading choclateers establishment[No 83].
This area is something of a tourist hub. A long plaza prommanade of stalls shops, street entertainment and reputedly pickpockets. It hums non stop night and day. Tour buses leave on the three circuits - Red, Blue, Green from the top end furthest from the harbous. Impressions are that Barcelona is a 'foodies' paradise. We spent a good spell in the market and the amount of fresh, really fresh good quality fruit, meat and fish was amazing. Prices are reasonable too.
At the cooked food end we ate particularly well and rate Tapas highly--way to go. Beer is good and wine cheap as well as quite decent.
TESOL work? Its there, but remember Spain is just a couple of hours from England so there is a good supply of native speakers with TESOL Certificates. Some of them I am told are 'dodgy'. ie very short [20hour] courses and flashy bits of paper so as allways the message remains--get well qualified ie Diploma level or better, from an reputable ACCREDITED trainer, such as English Explorer, and your employment opportunities soar. Get to popular destinations before the summer rush and get settled in and established. You also have to be there in person to attend interviews and the final words of wisdom from us: "TIP" be prepared to give a free demo' lesson and prove you are really good!
Oh and Barcelona is heaps warmer than UK, we must put sun block on today!

Happy travelling
Harry and HB

We Go so - We Know!

2011-05-14T12:53:00.002+08:00

Every year we get up and go.
One purpose is to visit agents and associates, but more importantly to report back to you with tips, tricks and general info' on popular desinations, as well as the TESOL opportunities there. This year we check out Spain, Wales, Scotland, Leeds and London. These last three are repeat visits due to our existing associates and Agents there.
Keep checking back for more.
How would you like to get a free course unit? Write a Blogg article for us and if we publish it, then we will give you a unit valued at $200AUD totally free.

Enjoy your travels, but look to your qualification levels for best pay and conditions. I hear too often that there is no work in Prague during the summer - not so- for those with a TESOL Diploma or higher. Yes we go so we know!

Cheers
Harry and HB

The Ethical and Green Foundation, building a school

2011-03-12T12:00:00.005+08:00

Harry Clements-Shepherd and Helen Bryant, the owners of English Explorer Pty Ltd recently launched The Ethical and Green Foundation, for assisting with education in developing countries.
As a part of this initial launch an investigative working group from FACET headed by Colin Ingram from Global Resolve recently spent a week in Les village NE Bali working with the Village Council, to formulate a plan for self sustaining community based tourism. Additionally they looked at a plan for the development of a Junior High School facility in the 'top village' where currently education does not go beyond Primary level. Parents have begun the building work, supported by a seed injection of funds by E&G and purchase of 3 hara of land by a Les village based retired academic Charles Jacobs. Much more has to be done though before these new classroms can be used and considerably more funding is needed to complete the work. All building materials, right down to the last nail, have to be transported by hand over several kilometres up gradients of 30 degrees plus. No easy task to transverse with no load!

TESOL in France

2010-05-09T22:29:00.006+08:00

Every week we get asked about teaching English in 'Paris', as though this was the only city worth considering in the whole country. Firstly the competition is huge for work in Paris and unless you are actually here and can door knock, the chances of getting something from long range are very very slim. Add to that low wages [competition for work keeps them down] and high rents and you could be much better off working 'out of town'.
There are many major cities and large provincial towns all over the country. The days when Frenchmen clung desperately to their language and refused to speak in any other seem to be history. The government insists that companies have training budgets and learning English features high in popularity, also schools have English in the curriculum and new generations are emerging with good basic English. Beware though, also gone are the days when just beeing a native speaker were enough to get work. You need relevant and recognised qualifications from an accredited trainer, such as English Explorer. A good place to start looking in any country is the Yellow Pages for names and phone numbers, in France its the Pages Jaunes found at www.pagesjaunes.fr and then search for Enseignement:Cours de Langues.
The Centre International d'Etudes Pedagogiques offers around 1500 positions for classroom aides, to assist French school teachers in teaching the English Language. Again you need qualifications in TESOL or similar, as well as a working knowledge of French, since you will work in the Government schooling system. Please remember that ALL countries have rules regarding working visas, make sure that you know what these are and dont get into a 'situation' from non compliance.
English Explorer has a comprehensive data base of names, addresses--both street and email, also phone numbers that we supply to our enroled students. We also give you advice regarding working conditions salary etc, as we know them at the time.
This year we have looked at the south of France and it seems to us that there is work available 'out of season'. During the summer and holiday months there are a flood of English nationals, as well as North Americans, wandering around the country and taking up part time work as and when they can. This supply, or rather over supply dries up as the days shorten and the temperature drops. Our on the spot checking happened in very early spring. Temperatures were certainly down, in fact we encountered sleet and snow,

the tourist crowds had certainly not yet arrived. If you are not going to be stationery in an area for more than a short time, then an established language school will suite your needs, but dont neglect to look at offering private lessons. Some tear offs left on notice boards, shops and at community centres is often a good economical way to get started and if you are any good word of mouth will soon spread your name around.
The most important thing about getting work in Europe is to be there personally and think outside of the big centres for more success.

Rome and TESOL

2010-05-04T23:47:00.005+08:00

This is the year of "The Great Hail Storm" [Perth WA] and "The Icelandic Volcano" that brought air traffic to a halt. I should have flown directly to UK but after two weeks of 'hanging around' we were able to get two seats to Rome. Well its sort of in the right direction for reaching UK....isnt it? Time prevented doing much in Rome but we did break our trip and re-establish some old contacts.
Tip for those on the spot, International Houses training centre, Accademia Britannica, Viale Manzoni 22 has a good notice board with job adverts, so also does Ned kelly's pub near Palazzo Valdassini and Miscellania close to the Pantheon.

We get a number of enquiries about work in Europe each week and Italy is certainly on the list of those countries in Western Europe that people ask about. In our data base, which we make available to all of our enroled students, we have 46 addresses, email and phone contacts for individual schools as well as chains of schools in Italy. I have no problem with offering some general information though. There are hundreds of schools both large and small in this country and at the same time there are no shortage of would be teachers. I am told that too often they are inexperienced and lack any serious training.They may have a piece of paper but its leverage is related to the depth of training that it represents. What many persons dont know when they go looking for training is that the defacto international bench mark for a TESOL Certificate is 120 hours of accredited training. Yes that's correct 120! Anything less and you may well be wasting your money.

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2010-04-27T14:14:00.001+08:00

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The OTHER Face of Bali!

2010-02-01T08:50:00.004+11:00

Un-Educated by Accident of Birth
Yes this is the Bali that we all know. Verdunt green rice terraces, wonderful dance and costumes, lovely friendly welcoming people in the villages.
What you have to look very carefully to see is the desperation behind the myth.
Visualise being a young person under 12yo, born into a poor family in a village. To start your day, you will wake at around 4.30am, wearing the same clothing as you went to sleep in, on a rush mat entangled with your siblings. The morning Mandi will be cold water and your breakfast meagre. House or animal chores take the first hours then you will possibly be on the 7am school shift [there are two per day] You are most likely to have to walk a kilometre or two to get there. School is is most likely to be drab and bare as well as hot in concrete rooms with little air flow and no fan let alone AC. The class group will be around fifty or so and the resources meagre. Most learning will be rote since your family are unlikely to be able to afford exercise books and pens for you. At age 12 your education after five or so years will be poor by western standards in fact you will be barely literate. Your future? Many return to from whence they came and perpetuate the cycle. The really entrepreneural by nature and drive will always rise above the norm.
Indonesia has the fourth largest poulation in the world. Like all countries their natural resources are finite. They have gone from being an oil exporter twenty years ago to being an importer today. However the resource they have that is growing is their Human Resource. Education is the key to tapping this.

The sum of $1000 will supply a year of vocational education to a secondary student and open their future. This amount of money though is an insurmountable hurdle for too many village families. We at English Explorer are supporting and benefacting the Primary School at Les village in North West Bali, our longer term goal is to support, with your help and contributions,[$100 from 10 persons per year or a$2.00 per week is all it takes] and students from the village can attend vocational training.
Will you help? Please drop me a mail and discuss how you can become involved in this very worthwhile project.
harrycs@englishexplorer.net.au

2010-01-26T18:45:00.004+11:00

WE VALUE ADD UPTO $400 FOR YOU
Its been a while, in fact too long since I wrote for general distribution. This post gives me a great sense of pleasure though because we are value adding upto $400 for you when you enrol to train with us.English Explorer is a small business and as such requires a lot of time just planning where to and servicing the right now. By staying very small we preserve - we hope - a very high level of personal engagement with you our clients, students and friends. Too often I see wages staff just filling space. My question on pay day would allways be "what have you contributed this week and what was its value". So if its been a while between posts its because of our time spent on engaging with clients needs.
Recently we have had a serious update session on our website. We have also been able to change some pricing- to your benefit! To compete vigorously and remain as price setters in a global market place - and be a quality provider of TESOL with AQTF as well as international accreditation- we have to run lean and mean at homebase. Our Professional TESOL Certificate, Advanced Professional Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma have just become a much better deal. To do this we have had to add price penalties to the buying courses in small modules. We cannot all be winners, but those that support us are now being well rewarded with upto $400 in potential value adding available. We are committed to being price setters as well as simply the Best trainers available. Our ethos is summed up in the acronym FISH.
Friendly, Informative, Supportive and Helpful.

We have been active in teaching Chinese meat workers on a weekly basis over the last four years. The families arrived with little or no English and it has been extremely gratifying in having guided them to progressively, achieveing driving licenses and then their permanent residency based on English language ability. These sorts of activities enable us to keep our TESOL units meaningful and relevant. We create all of our own learning units, based on real classroom experiences. We do not on sell off the shelf pre packed courses that have been around for years and are tired and need a funeral. Our work with these migrants has been made even more successful by two great Trainers Margaret and Aaron who work for us on contract.
Why would you not join our learning family and take your TESOL journey with us?
Drop me a mail to harrycs@englishexplorer.net.au any time for a chat or SKYPE me at englishexplorer. Harry

Culture Shock from Sonja

2008-01-01T15:58:00.000+08:00

Culture Shock: is it affecting you?

In recent years travel to far flung destinations has become a popular pastime with people of all ages. Traveling and working in a foreign country however, is like having your cake and eating it too. While traveling allows you to see an incredible country, visit historical sites and landmarks, taste sensational and sometimes unusual food, stare in awe at various wonders of nature, working in a foreign country gives you something deeper, richer: exposure to that country’s culture. Suddenly you aren’t just hurtling along in a bus that’s packed to the rafters intent on photographing remarkable scenery or temples, you’re living in another country, free to immerse yourself in the culture, gain a great sense of who the locals are, their behaviour, customs and history.

Cultural immersion is an exciting and rewarding part of living in a foreign country, but it can also be tedious, frustrating and exhausting. Before embarking on a new life abroad I try to prepare myself for the fact that my new home will be very different from the one I know so well in Australia. Unfortunately, no matter how much reading and research I do, culture shock always affects me. The degree which culture shock affects me varies from country to country. In London it was mild, in Austria it was medium and in China it was of earthquake proportions.

For me, culture shock in China was like being at the beach, catching a huge wave with the intent of riding it all the way to the shore line, excited by the thrill of the prospective ride, only to be caught unexpectedly by the strength of the wave. Instead of a smooth ride the wave breaks early, I am caught in the undertow, tossed about in a barrage of water and sand, and finally land on the beach. I emerged from the experience shaken, disoriented, and a little out of breath.

To say that China is different is an understatement. China is a whole other world. From the moment of my arrival I experienced a huge sensory overload. There were so many new and different things to focus on, understand and adapt to. The sheer volume of people surprised me. I came from a city of four million people and expected Foshan to be similar. What I hadn’t factored in was the lack of space. In Australia there is so much space that cities are spread out, whereas in Foshan it seemed as if the whole city converged in one spot.

The traffic was manic and out of control. Obeying traffic lights seemed optional. Scooters, cars and trucks randomly veer up onto the footpath to avoid a red light, to travel up a one way street or use the pedestrian crossing as a short cut across the road. I constantly felt unsafe walking along the footpath, having to be alert for traffic on what I believed should be a safe place for me to walk.

Naïve as it may sound I wasn’t prepared for the complete lack of English. I wrongly assumed that a city the size of Foshan would have experienced exposure to the English language, and as such there would be a certain degree of familiarity. I was so wrong. My saving grace was the Chinese phrase book that I’d packed at the last minute. I wouldn’t have survived the first few months without it. It surprised me that the people weren’t accustomed to seeing foreigners, and I found the constant staring unnerving. Initially the long blatant stares and pointing alarmed me. Were people merely unaccustomed to seeing a blonde haired foreigner in their midst or were they displeased that I was in their country? I really had no idea. It took a while, but then I realized that most Chinese are very shy. If I smiled or said hello I was rewarded with big smiles and shy hellos in return.

Initially day to day life was difficult. Everything from going shopping to deciding where to have dinner and what to eat was hard work. Dining was a definite challenge. The food here is very different from that served at my local Chinese restaurant in Australia. Chicken, actually all manner of fowl, arrived with bones, head and feet included. How on earth was I supposed to get the meat off the bone whilst using chopsticks? The Chinese excelled at this particular dining skill. Me, I was clumsy, and often resorted to using my fingers which may have been acceptable at home, but here, was I committing a major social gaffe? I had no idea.

The school where I work offered free Chinese (Mandarin) lessons and I attended eagerly. While I seemed to be getting a fair grasp on the four various tones, the locals all spoke Cantonese and my attempts to communicate often left me frustrated. I was speaking Chinese, but I wasn’t being understood, and I couldn’t understand what was being said to me. It was disheartening and dampened my enthusiasm for learning Mandarin. What was the point of learning a language that wasn’t widely spoken or understood in the city where I lived? When I traveled to other provinces however, my basic Mandarin proved a lifesaver. I simply had to accept that I lived in Guangdong province, otherwise known as Canton, and Cantonese was the primary language.

Little things like queue jumping irritated me until I learned to do as the locals do and jump the occasional queue myself. Afterall, living in a new country means observing local customs doesn’t it? Often content to wait in line at the bank, post office or the bus station, when I was short on time, or uncertain of where I was traveling to, I would head to the front of the queue, and no one would bat an eyelid.

Saving face is a custom that I had read about, and thought I understood, at least intellectually. In practice it’s a different story. I’m accustomed to a direct approach when dealing with problems, and looking to find a solution that benefits all involved. I discovered at work that ‘saving face’ can cause much frustration and misunderstanding between foreigners and locals.

I have experienced many magical moments, eaten delicious new food, seen remarkable sights and countryside, and taught hundreds of fabulous, eager adorable children. The teaching has been an incredible part of my time in China. I love teaching the younger kids. They are so excited, enjoy learning, and have so much fun in class. It’s rewarding to see the look of achievement in their eyes when they are finally able to pronounce a difficult word or phrase. The impromptu hugs I get in the middle of a class just make me melt. Having never taught before it was hard work prepping for classes and figuring out what works and what doesn’t with various age groups. But one day it all just fell into place, became easier, was less work more, enjoyable.

In the beginning I struggled with the differences between my culture and the one I am now living in. While I have at times been frustrated beyond belief, I have also come to understand the cultural behaviour of this country and its people who have opened their doors and allowed me to work here. It’s been extremely rewarding.
Sadly this is not the case with all foreigners and I have witnessed some unfavourable behaviour that’s made me wince in embarrassment. I think some of this bad behaviour is a result of culture shock, and so, I’ve come up with some tips for coping when in China, or any country for that matter.

If you are in the throes of culture shock don’t:

• Yell and intimidate your Chinese co-workers or treat them as if they are beneath you.
• Speak poorly about China in the presence of local people.
• Demand that your boss buy and install expensive equipment because that’s how things are in your home country.
• Constantly make comparisons that things are more efficient and organized at home.
• Make slurs against the local people’s intelligence. They may not be able to communicate using long, fancy English words but that doesn’t make them stupid.
• Push your religion and a belief in God upon others, or get into political discussions. In China these subjects are taboo for people to freely discuss and it makes them very uncomfortable.
• Don’t arrogantly tell your boss how to improve their school, its running systems etc. Observe how things work for a while, and then gently offer a suggestion. Remember the ‘saving face’ factor.

To lesson the effects of culture shock do:

• Call family/friends back home during times of homesickness.
• Talk to other people/ teachers around you, they’ve probably experienced culture shock too.
• Be more patient with those around you.
• Remember that English is a second language for the locals and as such you will need to speak more slowly, clearly and often simplify your use of words.
• Take the time to try and understand the customs and behaviour of the country you are in.

The major point to remember is that you aren’t at home. You are in someone else’s home. Stop making the comparisons between countries and accept that things are done differently in this country. The whole point of living in a new country is to experience different behaviours, beliefs and cultures, to learn new things, to open up and grow a little. Travel is all about change. Yet change can be frightening, hence the reason many travelers expect things to be the way they are at home.

China is a country full of change and growth. Living here will throw even the most seasoned traveler off balance for a while. If this happens to you, take a deep breath, plunge right in and go with the flow. Appreciate the differences that are in front of you and enjoy the exciting new elements that present themselves everyday. Living in China takes patience and perseverance. If you pack these into your backpack along with your sense of humour then you are guaranteed to have a good time. Look beyond the surface and you will come to understand the shyness of the Chinese people, appreciate their desire to move forward from a painful history and hopefully make some good friends along the way.

XXXXXX Arrives in Germany

2008-01-01T15:42:00.002+08:00

Hello

I thought I’d just send you a quick note to let you know of my current happenings, post TESOL course! I am working in Germany teaching business English to adults for a firm called EUROlingua. I am south of Berlin.

I have been very busy so far, not so much with teaching but settling in, finding an apartment, registering etc and dealing with all of the wonderful German “bureaucrazy” But now after my first month here I have finally settled in and things are starting to go very well. The work has been interesting and quite a change from the school teaching that I am more familiar with, however I am certainly able to use the pedagogical training in planning my lessons. The school here provides all resources which is good and bad, they don’t like it when we use our own resources. They also provide dual language vocab lists for the students which I do not always think is the best option (especially when the odd word has been incorrectly translated)

My usual teaching day sees me travelling to the workplaces of my students (sometimes an hour away on the train followed by a good half hour walk! Not surprisingly I have since dropped a dress size) and teaching classes for usually an hour and a half. We rarely teach in the school rooms which are based in the town.

The students vary in ability from total beginner to upper intermediate-advanced. The class sizes are from 1-6 students.

Anyway early start tomorrow teaching out so best get my beauty sleep

Well I hope that EE is going well

Regards

XXXXXXX.

News From XXXXXX in Germany

2008-01-01T15:35:00.001+08:00

It all sounds wonderful. My German friends often go to Hidensee in the summer so I am hoping to gatecrash!!

Bugger wasn’t watching and my soup just boiled over!!!

Life in Germany certainly has had some entertaining moments including having my Visa card eaten by an ATM and dealing with some particularly entertaining rental contracts, some of which specify how often you should clean the toilet!!!

I am becoming quite adept with the rail system and the Trams.
The plan is to work and save as much as possible then spend it all holidaying and then repeating the process…. Sadly with rental contracts as they are in Germany this is slightly more difficult than anticipated as you are usually locked in for at least 3-6 months at a time. This also makes the impromptu up and leaving rather difficult!! However xxxxx is reasonably central so doing week/end trips to various places shouldn’t be too difficult….

Anyway better go before the soup boils over again, If you want more tales from the land of lederhosen just ask!!!

XXXXXX

________________________________________

Hong Kong is a part of China

2007-08-19T14:37:00.000+08:00

Harry finds a local contact on the ground in China invaluable.
Before one talks of the Chinese mainland it would be remiss not to mention Hong Kong which is the usual gate for many arrivals. Hong Kong island is to me the equivalent of the upmarket side of London, excepting for the number of oriental persons passing by. Kowloon is just across the water by Star Ferry, a short cheap ride [and shades of Suzy Wong] lands you near the bottom of Nathan Road close to the Peninsular Hotel which is the epitome of everything that a Grand Hotel should be.

Kowloon is a real insight into an oriental trading port. Walk up Nathan Road take in the big stores as well as the family businesses that spill onto the roadway.

Finish up in the Wung Soo night market area and experience the bustle, the smells, the food, ordinary people going about a normal days trading and a strident though melodious language banter swimming around you. This is the peoples’ China. You really feel the difference when you see street signs such as this one!

English Explorer has an excellent Hong Kong contact in Candy Ling who is a consultant at China International Travel [CITS]. Candy not only knows her home city of Hong Kong very well but she is also a font of information about travel and connections across main land China where CITS have offices in every major centre. A link such as Candy to smooth your way makes travel for first time China visitors so much easier. English Explorer supplies not only Candy’s office and email contact information but also her mobile phone number so that you know that you can be in easy reach. It's this extra attention to detail that makes EEG stand out!

English Alliance School, Dunguan, China.

2007-08-19T14:31:00.000+08:00

An interesting Scotsman.

English Alliance School’s owner and head Dr William Soong is an interesting person. He was born in China but spent much of his young life growing up in Edinburgh, consequently you are faced with a person of obvious Chinese parentage who then addresses you in perfect English complete with mild Scottish accent. The obvious upside of this is that he also knows well the culture that most of his English staff come from.

This understanding is very apparent in the quality of the teaching staff accommodation as well as the extremely pleasant surroundings within the compound where the units are located. This is situated a short bike ride from the school.

Dunguan is mostly a very new city and as yet is lightly populated. The infrastructure is all brand new and in fact is still being created.

To reach Dunguan economically from Hong Kong involves a train ride north to Shenzen where you cross the border into mainland China proper. I had not actually ever really felt the weight of the Chinese population until going through an obvious choke point such as Shenzen. This is where the density of the population becomes very apparent as you queue to pass through immigration. From Shenzen fast efficient coaches travel to all parts and it’s a further couple of hours by road.

English Alliance run a school within a school. The main campus is a secondary school and students are time tabled out for English classes.

Classrooms are spacious and well appointed with full airconditioning.

As has already been said the teacher accommodation is of a very high standard and even includes a gymnasium and swimming complex for residents. Another point to note is the provision of a western style WC which makes the culture change just a little easier to get used to!

TESOL in Italy

2007-08-19T14:21:00.001+08:00

Andrew O'Connell

I had always taken the language I speak for granted. I had no idea that the English language could be so interesting and that it had such a rich and colourful history!

I started teaching English as a foreign language around 5 years ago. Interestingly, one of the first things I realised I needed to do as a teacher of English was to go back and learn English myself!

Here I am contemplating the atrocities of ancient Rome at the 'Arena' in Verona.

When you're among English-speaking people, it's easy to communicate! But when you have to deal with people who don't know a word of English, it's a totally different experience! You often need to draw on all your resources to make yourself understood! It can be frustrating; it can be fun; but it's never boring and you're always learning something!

I've taught a wide range of people; primary-school children, teenagers, young adults and even retirees and from all walks of life! I've had students of varying abilities; beginners, intermediate students and advanced.

I worked in a school of English in the north of Italy. I took the opportunity to enjoy all that Italy has to offer: fine food, great coffee, the latest fashions, picturesque villages and a richness of history and art.

Of course, being based in Italy, I had Europe at my doorstep. When I had holidays, I travelled around Europe or to different parts of Italy.

That beautiful turquoise water? You'll find places like that if you take a ferry from the west coast of Italy to the island of Sardinia.

Oh! And don't miss Venice, the world's most beautiful city: that's the 'Ponte Rialto' (Rialto bridge) you see, on the 'Canal Grande' (Grande Canal).

So there you have it! I started off exploring a language and I ended up exploring the world!

TESOL in Indonesia

2007-08-19T14:02:00.000+08:00

A Tribute to the People of Aceh and Nias

I seem to have always had the name of Mixed Moss lurking in the back of my mind as I have rolled around the world over the last twenty years or so, dwelling on all sorts of mixed thoughts.

In 1995 I was in the back blocks of Sumatra in an archipelago of 92 islands, called Banyak, many of these were uninhabited off the north west coast.

I befriended a fishing family with small children and wonder now if there is any chance that they survived the Tsunami? There is absolutely no possible way for me to check. This really underscores the simplicity of their lives. No phone, no email and a perilous postal service. A family such as this would quite likely never have received a letter by mail.

This is Sinini she was around nine years old when this was taken in 1995. A lovely little girl, full of fun.

This is her Grand Mother, Mother and Aunt dressed ready to go ‘shopping’ on the nearby main Island.

It makes one appreciate very much the ordinary people and the friendly welcomes, as well as the outright generosity that I have encountered in many years of ‘traveling local’ from persons who are often desperately poor themselves yet have a generosity of spirit way beyond what we encounter in the so called developed world.

The early morning school bus, not sure about loading capacity though!

This is ‘Das’ heading out to his fishing ground.

Before discussing anything to do with TESOL and it certainly is a ‘Ticket To Travel’ I’d like to share just a few images of the very many that I have collected in Indonesian villages as I have shared time, rice and conversation with those living there. This is the only tangible tribute that I can make to those I knew in North West Sumatra on the Banyak Archipelago living at sea level as their families have always done in the past.

And now NIAS!!!

You can see from my hand drawn map that I travelled from Banyak to Nias by local small boat. It was an all night journey to avoid pirates! Nias I remember as well kept, quiet and supremely friendly. I lived there for a short time and taught English to several secondary students who were working in the local Library on what we would call ‘Work Experience’

Again I have no way of knowing if they survived but the memory of their daily good humour and the outright joy of living in each of them makes me hope for a miracle on their several behalves. TESOL really does open so many doors and cements friendships with wonderful people all of whom want to learn for the sake of a better life style. Not all of my travels bring back such bitter sweet memories, but in the current set of circumstances, where off the coast of Sumatra in Banyak and Nias I enjoyed so much friendship, I want to record my deep sadness for the people that befriended me so readily

In demand in Italy

2007-08-19T13:57:00.000+08:00

Lisa discovers three job offers in one day.

I thought getting a job in Italy might be a challenge. However just three days after I arrived in Milan, I had job offers from three language schools. I simply looked for language schools in the phone book and faxed them my resume. In fact, getting a job had never been easier.

Obtaining the necessary paperwork to get paid, however, was more complicated. I left the local questura (government office) with a stack of paperwork to fill out and no clear answers. After about as much effort as it took to fill out my income tax forms, I had what I needed to get paid—a 6-digit tax ID number.

An Italian friend patiently explained, "Rules are not meant to be followed, every Italian knows that. You must find a way around them. You Americans give up too quickly."

As a foreigner teaching English, I am a learner as much as I am a teacher. I understand what my students are dealing with in their fears and frustrations about learning a new language—because I am also dealing with this, but from the other end.

My students are business people and students, young and old, at varying levels of proficiency. Gilda is an oil tycoon's daughter with bodyguards; Francesca is the young, unhappy wife of a high-powered company director. I teach a Romanian student who is simultaneously learning Italian in order to make a better life for herself outside of economically shattered Romania. In the evening I teach a group of theater employees who bring their Mac laptops to class.

Work opportunities abound for English teachers in the big cities of Milan and Rome as well as smaller places in the south. Although not a necessity, for your own peace of mind you may want to invest in a short intensive course in teaching English. Completion of a training course is essential for prospective English teachers without a college degree.

Most schools won't hire teachers from outside Italy, so take all your paperwork and you will get work.

TESOL in Japan

2007-08-19T13:52:00.000+08:00

Jenny Chenik - My Experience Teaching English as a Second Language

I was 21 years old, and was fortunate to have the opportunity to go to Japan and teach English at a private language school. I stumbled upon this job by accident as I was just about to graduate university after four years of studying a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism degree. Teaching had never crossed my mind, let alone teaching English as a Second Language in a foreign country.

I had studied Japanese for 5 years at high school and counted it towards my tertiary entrance exam score as well so I had always had an interest in Japan, the language and the culture. I had also been to Japan in year 9 on a student exchange program for 27 days. I noticed an advertisement in the job section of the newspaper advertising that a company was looking for people to go to Japan and teach English. I applied for the job, not sure if I had what it would take to make it. I attended a full two day interview in Perth and was finally chosen to go.

When I arrived in Japan it was like a totally different world to the Western Australian city of Perth in which I had grown up. I was fortunate enough to have travelled to various countries since I was young, so I knew what to expect of a foreign country. Of course, I had never lived in a country that didn’t speak my language before either. It was a rather daunting experience for a fresh-faced 21 year old straight out of university who had never lived away from home.

We were basically thrown into the deep end when it came to teaching. I started classes the second day I was in Japan. There was a substitute teacher taking care of my classes in the interim and I sat in on some of his classes all the while trying to get used to the idea of being a teacher even though I had never studied anything to do with teaching before, as well as trying to adapt to this foreign culture, language and people. Three days later I was on my own and had about 65 students of various ages from 3 to 73 all expecting me to teach them English even though I didn’t have any teaching experience. These students were not all in the same class.

We had a wide range of teaching resources available to us including invaluable teacher’s manuals that had models of lessons that we could use, or at least get a few ideas for an original lesson. The first few weeks, I think all of my lessons came straight from the manuals, as they had been tried and tested by other teachers and I knew it was ‘safe’. It took a while for my confidence to grow and also for the students’ confidence in me to grow, but after a few weeks I had earned their trust and felt I had more self-confidence. Once I had this feeling of self-assurance, I was ready to veer off the teacher’s manuals and start incorporating some of my own ideas into the lessons.

What was great about the school that I was at is that it was a language school, meaning most of the students that attended the school actually wanted to be there and wanted to learn as opposed to a primary or high school where the students don’t have a choice. The ages we taught were from three years old still trying to master the Japanese language, to senior citizens. Everyone was at a different level and students had varied reasons for studying English that included business people that needed to improve their TOEIC score to get a pay increase or a promotion, housewives taking English as a hobby, students wanting to study abroad in an English speaking country, parents wanting their children to have a head start and many other reasons. The classes were mostly well organised in that every attempt to ensure students of the same age and level were put in the same class. Of course, it is almost impossible to cater for everyone as students all have different times and days on which they could come, and occasionally we would be faced with a mixed class, either mixed in ages, levels or interests. That was the biggest challenge for us as teachers because we had to prepare a lesson that would be challenging enough for the higher level students, but also allow the lower level student to feel that they were learning and participating as well. We had training sessions on catering to classes such as these, and most students understood that because there were different levels, sometimes a part of a lesson would be easier and other times a bit harder. This also boosted the self esteem of the higher level students as they could help the lower levels and everyone benefited.

Another challenge in the classroom was teaching children. How were we supposed to teach a class of three year old children if we couldn’t use English? I thought I was fortunate because I had knowledge of Japanese, but during class time, students were supposed to be completely immersed in English and the use of Japanese in classes was therefore frowned upon. Again training was provided on the different teaching methods for children’s classes and we were always having game idea swaps with teachers from other schools. When the students are that young, the best way for them to realise that they want to learn is for them to have fun. If they are enjoying themselves, picking up parts of the English language will be a natural progression. Therefore we played endless games, sang songs, danced, and generally made fools out of ourselves trying to get the students to have fun and learn English at the same time. Once the children learnt something, I would always invite the parents into the class and we would perform what we had just learnt for the parents. This way they can see what their children are learning, as well as what their hard earned cash is going towards. This was also a great way to earn the trust of the parents.

Due to cultural differences, some lessons that I planned didn’t always work, or were not understood. Australians in particular are rather sarcastic in their sense of humour and this was not always well received in classes. I quickly learned what was and wasn’t acceptable with regards to cultural differences, but there were some awkward moments. One that stands out is the difference in the way Australians and the Japanese deal with teachers and other people in higher positions. As a teacher, students were reluctant to disagree with me, or tell me they weren’t happy with something or want something changed. In my culture, debating a topic is considered healthy and necessary, and feedback or constructive criticism is usually welcome. It took me a long time to understand that students were only agreeing with me or telling me that my lessons were fine because of their cultural background. I tried introducing debating into some higher level classes and the first few times it failed dismally, with teams just agreeing with each other. So other approaches were tried and I even wrote down points each team could argue so all they had to do was read the point and expand. Needless to say, debating never really took off in most classes. I realised then that the point of teaching my students was not to have them act as someone from a foreign country would, but rather to expand their ideas and thinking and prepare them for different situations in which they may find themselves. Although my students never learnt the art of debating, they will at least be able to acknowledge that disagreeing with someone elder or more senior than themselves is acceptable in western cultures.

Of course, most of the time classes were thoroughly enjoyed by both students and teachers alike. I got to know my students, their personalities, their hobbies, about their families and occupations, and we would often go out socially after class or on the weekend. This was where great friendships were made and there was no teacher/student form. It gave me an opportunity to really get to know my students and they in turn could really get to know me. I probably also learnt the most about Japanese eating and drinking practises when I was out with my students or friends. I made a discovery that one of my high level classes loved to watch the American sitcom ‘Friends’ and so every week I would hire out that video and prepare a lesson around an episode of ‘Friends’. As a result, students were not only studying English, they also had an opportunity to be exposed to western culture and other aspects such as slang and western humour. It can often be quite different. As I got to know my students better and they got to know me, so the teaching became relaxed and more enjoyable for everyone.

As someone who has had no teaching background, I believe one of the main obstacles in teaching English as a Second Language is the cultural difference. However, with a bit of patience and understanding from both parties, this difficulty can be overcome and the experience and knowledge that one can gain from going to a foreign country to teach English is invaluable. I have mainly written about my experiences as an English as a Second Language teacher, but of course during my three years that I spent as an English teacher in Japan, I had so many wonderful experiences in other areas as well. I had the opportunity to become friends with Japanese people and was often invited into their homes where they treat you as a special guest and where they go out of their way to ensure you are satisfied. When it comes to guests, nothing is too difficult or trying for the Japanese. I was also fortunate enough to go on many trips around Japan with my friends and as a result tried skiing for the first time, an experience I would never have had living in Western Australia. I grasped a more thorough understanding of the Japanese language and even had lessons and sat for a Japanese exam, and I had the opportunity to make many friends from countries all over the world. My colleagues at my school and at other branches included people from Australia, Canada, USA, Britain, just to name a few. They have come to Perth to visit me, and I am planning to go to visit them. There is such potential for lifelong friendships to be made, as well as for memories that will stay with you throughout your life.

It was very difficult for me to keep this account of my time teaching English in Japan short. There is so much more I could write about. As a young 21 year old, straight out of university and still living at home, this was one of the biggest and most exciting (as well as daunting) experiences of my life. Once I settled in and became used to my surroundings, I jumped into the culture with open arms and as a result I had so many wonderful and amazing adventures and met some fantastic people as well. My advice if you are thinking about going to a foreign country to teach English, is to do it. As long as you are prepared to realise that it is most probably going to be very different from what you are used to, it is one year out of your life (or in my case three) and the experiences and opportunities to learn and experience new things are just invaluable.

Don't overlook Taiwan

2007-08-19T13:47:00.000+08:00

Jessica encourages others to consider Taiwan.

Taiwan is an underrated destination for travelers and quite possibly the best place in Asia to teach English. First, there’s the money and the island’s insatiable demand for teachers. Beyond that, Taiwan has bustling cities which never sleep, an intriguing mesh of Chinese tradition and cutting-edge technology, dreamy mountains hazed in a sea of clouds, a coastline that rivals Hawaii, and friendly people who, as they define themselves against China’s threats, are currently in a period of self-discovery.

I have lived in Taiwan for the past six years. While Asia boomed, crashed, and now recovers I consistently made good money. The average wage is NTAU $500-NTAU $700 (AU $15-AU $22) per hour and rising. The highest-paying jobs are generally at private kindergartens. There are also plenty of opportunities to teach older kids and adults at “bushibans” (private cram schools), though usually at a slightly lower wage. Right now, there is a shortage of teachers all over the island. If you come, compare schools and be selective. If you get what you think is a great job offer, take it. But take nothing less.

Most schools prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, though I know teachers here who have no degree. Previous ESL teaching experience or training is a plus, but it is not required. Usually, you will be asked to sign a 1-year contract. No two schools’ contracts are the same, so read them carefully. Pay special attention to contracts which require a deposit or threaten to fine you if you break the contract.

If you plan to work in Taiwan, it is best to try to get at least a 2-month visitor visa before coming—the only visa you can get if you don’t already have a job lined up. To obtain a resident visa, you must have a bachelor’s degree and present your diploma (not a copy) to the government as proof.

To supplement your income, you will probably want to teach privately. You can find private students through friends, at your school, or in posted advertisements. The pay, negotiated between you and the student, averages AU $15-AU $25 per hour.

Low Living Costs: Taiwan is a great place to teach because not only are you well paid, you can live cheaply. Outside Taipei it is not difficult to find a 2- to 3-bedroom apartment for AU $190-AU $310 per month. Stay in a budget hotel or hostel and find a job first. (This should take less than a week.) Then ask a Chinese person at your school to help you find an apartment, or ask other expatriates if they know of available rooms. Empty apartments are abundant.
Food is also inexpensive—as long as you eat as the locals do. The Chinese are the true masters of creating delicious fast food. Cafeterias and street vendors are ubiquitous. The average dish with a portion of meat, vegetables, and rice or noodles cost AU $1.50-AU $2.50.

Take a couple of different jobs and a few private students and save money for travel around other parts of Asia. Or get enough hours at one school to support yourself and then pursue other interests, such as studying Chinese or tai chi. If you’re careful, you still may be able to save some money for travel.

2007-07-24T23:02:00.000+08:00

From Helen, Jerusalem.
"Synagogue Bulletin Blunders".
These announcements, with hilarious typos and phrasing blunders, were reportedly found in various Shul newsletters and bulletins. Even the spell checker wouldn't have helped!

1. Don't let worry kill you. Let your synagogue help. Join us for our Oneg after services. Prayer and medication to follow. Remember in prayer, the many who are sick of our congregation.

2. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

3. We are pleased to announce the birth of David Weiss, the sin ofRabbi and Mrs. Abe Weiss.

4. Thursday at 9, there will be a meeting of the Little Mothers Club. All women wishing to become Little Mothers please see the Rabbi in his private study.

5. The ladies of Hadassah have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the basement on Tuesdays.

6. A bean supper will be held Wednesday evening in the community center. Music will follow.

7. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the JCC. Please use the largedouble door at the side entrance.

8. Rabbi is on vacation. Massages can be given to his secretary. 9. Goldblum will be entering the hospital this week for testes.

10. The Men's Club is warmly invited to the Oneg hosted by Hadassah. Refreshments will be served for a nominal feel.

11. Please join us as we show our support for Amy and Rob, who are preparing for the girth of their first child.

12. We are taking up a collection to defray the cost of the new carpetin the sanctuary. All those wishing to do something on the carpetwill come forward and get a piece of paper.

13. If you enjoy sinning, the choir is looking for you!

14. The Associate Rabbi unveiled the synagogue's new fund-raising campaign slogan this week: "I Upped My Pledge. Up Yours"

15. And for the Aussies, a movie showing in Melbourne this week, “Beyond the Rabbi Proof Fence”

May the Fairies and Angels guard you
Helen
=================

Wayne & Naomi in Southern China

2007-07-24T22:37:00.000+08:00

Right now we are in a place called Zhongdian, in south west China. The govt has actually renamed the place Shangri-la, claiming it to be the location of the famous book about the last paradise on Earth. It’s a nice place but I think the claim is a bit of a stretch. We have been forced to extend our stay here as I was bitten by a dog while trekking (will come back to that), and have to undergo a series of injections so I don’t die a horrible death of rabies. Looks like I will live though.

Zhongdian is at an altitude of 3,200m, so even scaling a tiny flight of stairs leaves you stuffed at the top. The next stop is Litang which is at 4,100m, though the bus has to climb to 5,500m to get there, so hopefully I will be able to walk let alone climb stairs.

Had my b’day here yesterday, which ended up being a very good day (thanks to Naomi), and went to a really nice restaurant (talking 1 to 1, the meal cost $150, which is about 15 nights in a hostel, or about 150 bowls of noodles!).

We have been back on the road from Nanjing for about 3 weeks now, and loving moving to a different place every few days, and sleeping on trains, trying to talk with the chain smoking Chinese guys we share the compartment with. Nanjing was a great city, and we met some great people, and the ease of life will be missed. Teaching was a good experience, though not sure if I will be jumping at the chance anytime soon. Some of the kids were great and really made your day, but others deserved to be beaten (joking!). I feel sorry for any teachers I ever gave trouble to!

First stop after Nanjing was Huang Shan (yellow mountain), one of the most famous in China. It was absolutely spectacular, and I have never seen anything like it in my life. The hike up the stairs was a bit tricky though. After that was Yangshou, which has probably been our favourite place in China so far. You have probably seen photos of it (the area for hundreds of km’s has these hills jutting out of the ground). Great to ride a bike around in the country side, swim in the river and relax.
We caught a bamboo boat down river, and had a natural mud bath in a cave (see photo of my white ass). The local food markets were also great for atmosphere. Great food, but had some strange things on the menu, and has been the first place we have seen dog being served (apparently only common in south China and Korea). I was tempted to try, but not sure if I can. Plus Naomi wouldn’t be too happy.

After that was Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province (we are in the north of Yunnan now). Not much to say as it was a really boring city.

Yunnan is full of minority groups, so each town we have been to since has had different ways of life to the rest of China which has been very interesting to see.

Dali, centre Yunnan, is a very laid back place with an old town which looks good, but is basically a whole heap of shops selling tourist crap. We managed to get out of town for the day though, and had a personal tour through a traditional village (not any tourists at all which was great), and the local market, which sold everything you could think of (cows, horses, dogs, chickens, tobacco etc), and people were even getting their teeth and eyes looked at next to where they were selling chili and sugar. It was huge, and the most interesting thing we have done in China. Dali itself was full of western restaurants and bars, and hippy’s were everywhere. Little old ladies would walk up to you pretending to show you something, and whisper ¡®smokey¡ganja¡.hashy?’ The hostel we were at, while very good, was full of hippy’s who did nothing all day
but smoke, give each other massages, meditate, paint, and walk around the grass area very slowly. Some had been there months and barely ventured out of the hostel. Strange bunch.

Next was Lijiang, another old town with wooden buildings and cobbled lanes (no cars in the area was a very pleasant change), but was even more orientated towards tourists than Dali. Not as many hippy’s though. The main bar strip had bar after bar on either side of a canal, and staff and customers would yell at each other across the canal. The louder and more insulting your chant was, the better. Cool to see, but half an hour of hundreds of people yelling at each other in Chinese was enough. The hostel we stayed at was great, and had the cheapest food and beer we have had in China yet.

We then trekked the Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world (4000m from the Yangzi River below to the snow capped peaks above). It was absolutely spectacular, and you feel dwarfed by the mountains. Unfortunately on the second day, a dog decided to have a go at my leg, so had to cut it short a little bit, and get to the next big town to get my rabies shots. It was stressful as you have to get the shots done within 24 hours, and our advice from doctors in Perth was to fly to Hong Kong immediately, but the town we are in had the stuff I needed. Big thanks to two Chinese guys we met on the bus (Ray and Eric) that helped us enormously.

That brings me up to the now. Got the 11 hour bus ride tomorrow (only 150 km, but up a very big hill), and Tibetan culture for the next week. Hope everyone is well back home (and friends we have made around the world).

If you want to see a lot more photos, and keep in touch a lot easier, go to facebook.com, register (very easy), and search for ’Naomiwayne shared’.

PS. This was written a couple of days ago, and we are now in a place called Litang (the high place I was talking about). The 2 day bus ride here was long and rough, but absolutely stunning scenery. 6000m high mountains, deep valleys and gorges, rolling green hills, tibetan villages, Tibetan nomad tents and herds of Yaks grazing (yak is quite nice by the way). It really was great. We had to stop at a small place overnight (it was a hole and not worth talking about), but when we got there, we had the usual people trying to get us to stay at their guesthouse. Two women starting fighting over our business, and it got very rough. The older woman had the younger ones hair in her mouth and wouldn’t let go, and they were both on the ground. Both were bleeding at the end. We were just sitting back watching, both amused and disgusted.

Litang is a real Tibetan town (long history and two Dali Lamas came from here). Tomorrow we are going to a horse racing festival (they have real cowboys here), and the day after a sky burial (Tibetan funeralsconsist of the dead being chopped upin front of a crowd, and fed to vultures). We have talked to locals and its ok to come, and they even encourage attendance (no photos though). Will not be getting too close though, as we have heard its very graphic.

Peoples’ Republic of China, Heenan Province

2007-05-06T01:09:00.000+08:00

Sanmenxia Shoujun High School
Sanmenxia Shoujun High School is privately owned and caters for around 3000 students. It is situated in Heenan Province one of Chinas most populous and near the rural town of Louang.

Though the school is large it also reflects the rural conditions from which the boarding students come. In that beds have no mattresses, I was told that the students find them uncomfortable since they have always slept on a board bed. Ablutions in the dormitory blocks are very basic and students go to the nearby town bath house for a full body wash. Westerners may well be surprised but this reflects rural village life in China. The accommodation for the English teachers was clean airy and with hot showers. All meals were supplied and if you enjoy Chinese food these were terrific. Beds for the English teachers did have mattresses and were very comfortable. The western teachers only worked upto twenty hours per week and I say only since their Chinese counterparts worked considerably longer for much less money.

School started at 6am with morning Tai Chi, a light breakfast followed and first class of the day commenced at 7.30 am. Apart from a break of an hour and a half to eat and nap around mid-day, classes then ran continuously until 9.30pm seven days per week! Every four weeks they had a long week end so that students could travel home.

Teaching students from a strict Confusion grounding in respect for elders and especially teachers is difficult. I quickly found that they giggle when embarrassed by difficult questions, both sexes, and it would be extremely impolite and counter productive to press when this happens. You just have to find a different approach. Classroom discussions where many opinions are expressed and debated just does not happen. If addressing a student (even if you do not know their name don’t point!) they stand with hands clasped in front answer the question very politely then sit down. Do I hear experienced Australian teachers saying “I wish!” It is no gift really because the whole room hangs on your every word and gesture, don’t expect to get down from being the ‘Sage on the Stage’ these students are very very uncomfortable when confronted by a situation where they are both allowed and encouraged to express their own thoughts rather than regurgitate what they have heard you say.

Heenan is a picturesque area. In close by Louang are grottos that have been inhabited for thousands of years until quite recent times by Budhist Monks who keep the nearby White Horse Temple. We travelled around Heenan to several rural towns all of them were well kept and clean. The people dressed simply were clean and well kept and the food was simply terrific. If you ever get invited to a banquet eat slowly and don’t let your host fill you up on the first few courses. Be aware that you are settling in for a five or six hour marathon and the host won’t be satisfied until you are in an agony of over eating. Mastery of Chop sticks is a must, any thing else conveys too much food too quickly!

China is an experience that you cannot have enough of there is so much variation. English Explorer has an excellent contact in Beeijing who is an Australian with Chinese background and this sort of anchor point makes for stress free help if you need it.

English Alliance School, Dunguan, China

2007-05-06T00:34:00.000+08:00

An interesting Scotsman.

English Alliance School’s owner and head Dr William Soong is an interesting person. He was born in China but spent much of his young life growing up in Edinburgh, consequently you are faced with a person of obvious Chinese parentage who then addresses you in perfect English complete with mild Scottish accent. The obvious upside of this is that he also knows well the culture that most of his English staff come from.

This understanding is very apparent in the quality of the teaching staff accommodation as well as the extremely pleasant surroundings within the compound where the units are located. This is situated a short bike ride from the school.

Dunguan is mostly a very new city and as yet is lightly populated. The infrastructure is all brand new and in fact is still being created.

To reach Dunguan economically from Hong Kong involves a train ride north to Shenzen where you cross the border into mainland China proper. I had not actually ever really felt the weight of the Chinese population until going through an obvious choke point such as Shenzen. This is where the density of the population becomes very apparent as you queue to pass through immigration. From Shenzen fast efficient coaches travel to all parts and it’s a further couple of hours by road.

English Alliance run a school within a school. The main campus is a secondary school and students are time tabled out for English classes.

Classrooms are spacious and well appointed with full airconditioning.

As has already been said the teacher accommodation is of a very high standard and even includes a gymnasium and swimming complex for residents. Another point to note is the provision of a western style WC which makes the culture change just a little easier to get used to!

Greece

2006-11-06T01:25:00.000+08:00

Vanessa joins us as a contributor this month, to reminisce about some idyllic time she spent teaching English, in a small coastal village in Greece.

It wasn’t snowing in Austria. As I was there to work the ski season, that was proving a handicap. I decided it would be much nicer in Greece and headed south through Italy across to Athens and then south again to a tiny village in the Peloponnese. There were really only 2 options for work in the village – the local bar, or the English school. It was a traditional village and to work in the bar would have meant low wages and lower respect from the locals. It was a no-brainer, really.

Fortunately, word travels fast in a small village. The owner of the English school actually came to me, delighted that a native English-speaking teacher was in the village. We agreed that I’d teach classes 3 afternoons per week, which was perfect for me. It meant that I had plenty of time for myself, and was making plenty of money to live. We rented a whitewashed cottage straight from a postcard, complete with blue window frames, thick stone walls and a trailing grapevine. I bought a scooter to get around, and settled in to life in a Greek village.

Teaching was fun. Most of the kids in the village came to English classes – it was the only extra curricular activity in the village. Even their state school was a bus ride away in another village. Consequently, some of them loved class and some would have rather been at the beach.

The school had two classrooms, although we normally only used one at a time. The classrooms were well setup with blackboard, desks, a few charts, and some reference books. The owner had passed some high level exams in English, so I had to assume she did speak English – but never to me. She taught a few classes herself but was happy to leave the majority to me. Until I arrived, the kids were used to being taught in Greek, with some English words thrown in as part of the lesson. It was quite a change for them to be taught by someone who spoke no Greek whatsoever. I tried to keep it that way, although the first Greek words I learnt were “sit down and SHUT UP”.

Although I had textbooks to work from I found that it was easy to develop my own lessons based on the concepts in the textbooks. The textbooks didn’t always relate to life as they knew it. Most of the kids had never left the villagr. At best, they had been to Athens. They watched a lot of TV, but primarily Greek soap operas, and so their knowledge of the outside world was fairly limited. Se we’d discuss the Greek basketball team, the local football team, the best way to catch an octopus, and whether it was worthwhile for girls to go to university, rather than world politics. It seemed that some English words were more easily learnt than others and it was rare to walk down the street without being followed by a chorus of childish voices calling “hello – how are you – I am fine" followed inevitably by "I looooove you”

Teaching meant that I was accepted as a part of village life, rather than being ostracised as a western woman of questionable morals. Like most of the other houses in the village, mine had no oven. Instead I’d prepare my meal and take it to the bakery, leaving instructions on how long to cook it. I’d see the women of the village there, and we’d discuss the price of tomatoes – or whether I’d guess the wrong amount of time for my dinner to cook and be presented with a cremated moussaka once again. As the teacher, if I was out walking in the evening I’d often be invited to join big family groups dining on huge plates of octopus, whole lambs cooked on an outdoor rotisserie, grilled fish, and fantastic tomato and feta salads.

Summer days were usually spent on or close to the beach – the weather was really hot, and the coast was full of perfect deserted coves within walking distance of my house. It was quite normal to pass older couples riding their donkey into town, or girls leading goats on a piece of string, as I walked down the hill to the beach. Often I’d walk out past the harbour to the white church on the headland, take a picnic lunch and read my book above the perfect blue sea. Other days I’d visit a new friend who had retired from his days as a wealthy globetrotting bohemian, and now lived in picturesque squalor below the cave known locally as Odysseus’ cave. For a few months each year, gypsies camped there in huge yurt-like tents; speaking a totally foreign language and enraging the locals by taking anything they liked without paying. They’d accepted my friend Alessandros, and so accepted me too. He didn’t understand how they could be so friendly with him but still raid his house and take his cameras as they moved on at the end of summer.

Somehow though, no day was complete without at least a couple of hours sitting in one of the tiny outdoor cafes, drinking frappe coffee and eating sweet baklava pastries. There was time for everything – time to write, time to read, time to explore new places and live a new culture, and still time to prepare lessons and to teach. It was one of the happiest times of my lift – and it could never have happened if the teaching job had not given me an entrée into that magic world.

South America

2006-11-06T01:04:00.000+08:00

Joyce’s story of her recent adventures in South America continues. The final chapter is next month:

It’s not too often that I share my men stories but I will today. I met a really nice guy in the Amazon. He is cute, funny, and has lots of energy. He is ADD like me. We took nice walks and talked a lot. He really kept me laughing. So like all men there are some drawbacks. His English is very limited as he was born and raised in Peru. He does not work and does not qualify for a green card. There is also a significant age difference. Actually quite a difference, he is 8 months old. He has 4 legs, a huge smile and lots of hair which makes me so jealous. Yes my new friend is Wallie, a spider monkey that has attached himself to me. He is an orphan so I thought about adoption but don´t know how Tashie would react to sharing a bed with a monkey. Also my parents already have a cat for a 5th grandchild so, I don´t know what they would do when I sent them a picture of number 6. So I guess I will treasure the memories and move on as my jungle time is over and I now go the jungle of Lima.

Loved my time in the jungle. Going down the river listening and looking for birds, walking at night and seeing spiders, frogs, terantulas, owls, bats, and more. Eating the fruits of the banana, mango, pineapple, and lime tree. Love that passion fruit juice and the watermelon is so sweet and juicy. Went out at night to see the Caymens which are alligators. These drivers don´t even need lights on their boats. It was pitch dark. I had my own cottage so I thought until the cockroaches came out to greet me. At that moment I took my dentists advice and decided it was not necessary to brush your teeth before bed. A matter a fact it wasn´t necessary to do anything in the bathroom at that point except leave! I immediately went to bed and tucked myself in under my mosquito net and held my flashlight all night. I did a very thorough bedcheck. Of course I shook and checked everything from that point on. Who knows what I am bringing home.
The sounds and the smells and the people of the rainforest are truly wonderful. It is an amazing and relaxing place. When the rain comes in you just listen and feel the power of the jungle. I got up this morning at 5 to go look for monkeys and birds. Unfortunately I don´t have superman eyes like our guides. It is amazing how they can spot things in the trees. I found Wallie instead and hung out. He definitely hangs out.

Now I am in Lima and will spend my last day here. Going on a city tour and just hanging out and repacking and repacking and repacking. I am proud to say I still have all my sunglasses but not my favorite travel shirt. Never did find my camera either.

Time to go and catch a bite to eat. Peruvian Chinese is on the menu tonight. I think that may mean catfish with chow mein noodles in mango sauce or something. Let you know in the next letter. More to come soon…

Joyce

Does this make you to want to be a TESOL teacher and travel to out of the way places, as well as contribute to societies where ability with English means a better living standard? And have fun! Yes? Then get qualified soon.

Foshan, China

2006-11-06T00:58:00.000+08:00

Max recently joined the staff of Lingdong School and is having a ball! He sent us this short report.

To English Explorer staff and students,

Dear Harry and Alan,

I have embarked on a wonderful adventure. The people in Foshan are very friendly and in general treat me like a celebrity.

I have been given three nicknames already, the president, the diplomat and the C.E.O. The students here are exceptionally eager to learn, although 15-16 y.o. are reluctant to speak, it can be like pulling teeth.

Eating here is a huge learning curve. Am practising eating with chopsticks on peanuts. It is literally cheaper to eat out, than cook for myself, (I'm in heaven!). Have eaten frog/toad, large intestine of beef or pork, and several other things my hosts seemed unwilling to divulge (very tasty) and I have developed a real liking for Chinese dumplings.

And finally a piece of advice for any students considering the E.S.L. experience, do it, do it now!

Regards Max.

Lingdong has openings for several teachers to commence in February 2007. They pay well, have great facilities and more to the point, their Australian and American staff speak highly of them. Are you interested in applying? Then get qualified soon.

Czechoslovak Republic

2006-08-01T23:48:00.000+08:00

Eastern Europe is another of the spots that people ask about. Prague is the city that most persons recognize when you speak of this part of the world and we are printing a Prague story with images this month.

Work for TESOL teachers in Prague is competitive if you want to be under the umbrella of a language school. Several of the big franchised schools run programmes there to attract ‘study and play’ visitors and they also lease these students out for work experience. There are also many other small private schools and these have a ready supply of cash strapped UK/USA students, who will work for food and a bed while they also have a holiday. Street work is the way to go and no I do not mean joining the ‘oldest profession!’ My experience was interesting and informative. My Best Friend [BF] and I wandered down a side street to inspect a street market for cheap post cards and maybe an odd present. (We were later heading to UK and my in laws).

I loved this witch. When you clapped your hands it jumped up and down on the strings cackling as though practising lines for Macbeth. Needless to say I was banned from buying it for You Know Who!

Since we were off the main drag the crowds were thinner and since it was now well into mid morning and my shopping tolerance was waning rapidly I spotted an outside bistro very close to a back packers where I could sit in the sun watch the crowd and calm my nerves after shopping with a decent coffee. BF and I sat back in the watery summer sun (by Oz standards anyway)and chatted in English. She’s European and seriously multi lingual, my best efforts are American, UK and Australian English. I can swear like a Bullocky in the latter! Within a few minutes several students had wanted to sit at our table and practice their English with us. We put them off, politely, since this was supposed to be ‘time out’ for us. However when one enterprising young lady walked up with two coffees, planted them in front of us and sat down…..short of starting a diplomatic incident we were trumped!

The message here is that work is where you find it and often it finds you. I have never failed to turn up work by placing those tear of my phone number strips on the bottom of a notice and placing it on the notice board of a University or even local coffee house. If you can get a local to be your agent, and I find the owner or manager of the backpackers where I am bunking is usually a good one, since they will get some casual trade for snacks and drinks if you run your lessons there. Don’t neglect to arrange to pay them a commission for getting business for you, remember they know all of the local strings that can be pulled.

Ordinary local food in Eastern Europe is basic, but spiced and the dumplings that seem to accompany everything really put some sinkers in your gut. Get away from the tourist traps, always, watch where the local workers are heading and tag along. Even in Prague we could eat cheaply by getting into the side streets of the suburbs and finding the local hang outs. Soup, goulash, coffee for two at around $10AUD. For breakfast find a bakery, buy some rolls, then get cheese and sliced meats $2/3AUD gets you both off to a good start. In eating places, cafes, schnapps houses, even places of worship, watch out for the dogs under chairs or camped on benches next to their boss! Different folks have different ways. They treasure their dogs and I have watched the Schnapps House owner bring a bowl of water for the dog before taking the order from its owner. Very different.

South America

2006-08-01T22:54:00.000+08:00

As we said last month South America seems to be on quite a few travel plans. So we are continuing with Joyce’s recent travels there and hope you continue to enjoy reading about her experiences.

Since last month Joyce has sent me a CD with a hundred or so great images from her trip. Obviously too many to think about publishing here. We covered her time in Galapagos last month and now we can catch up with just a few images before we go on with her diary.

I’ve decided that I am the grandma of the trip. I am now traveling with 4 Couples most married less than 2 years and all honeymooners and much younger. However grandma here has been the heathiest and most evergetic.

They all go to bed and I am ready to hit the town but of course do not as i will not go alone.

She has Moose though and he got into all sorts of scrapes on Galapagos! (Ed)

Maxchu Pichu
So we are back from Maxchu Pichu. Those Incas knew how to pick the best real estate. Location is incredible. Surrounded by the Andes and covered in clouds it is a magical site to see and explore.

Walked several hours among the sites. They must have had long legs because the terraces and steps between each row was quite wide. I was double stepping the whole way. The twon has hot springs so a few of us went to the springs to relax. Of course it was a 100 step walk up to get there. They make you earn every site and activity here. So much for 24 hour fitness.

Christmas is not such a big thing here (neither is Hanukkah). We were in a restaurant and a local band came in to serenade us. Before long we were doing the Perusina version of the hora around the room.

So lets talk food. I have not tried nor do I plan to try guinea pig which is the specialty here. I did eat alpaca and it wa quite tasty although I still prefer wearing it. Trout is garlic butter is very nice. Pizza is everywhere. Here they have a special tea which you drink to help with the altitude. It is a type of leaf which would be illegail in the US. There are over 500 types of corn here. Popcorn is common but quite different.

South Korea

2006-08-01T22:51:00.000+08:00

More from Dave…

Its hard to give you exact figures of prices, especially utilities as mine sort of come bundled under one 'fee'. The most expensive thing by far is oil heating. It can cost from $100 upwards a month in winter, depending on how much you use it. I dare say the winters here are fierce but from my knowledge most people are happy to part with the money. I'm extremely fortunate in that I don't actually pay for any oil, I have a very good director.

Food is cheap. You can live comfortably for $50 a week. Eating out is often cheaper and a full meal costs between $5 to $10. Of course the more 'fancy' you go the more you pay, as one would expect.

Power is also dirt cheap. Again, I don't see my power bill, but it isn't very much. $50 a month is top.

Tax here is at best dodgy. Officially, and hold onto your hat for this one, its only 5%. Your employer deducts this from your salary and you really don't even notice it.

Insurance is about $30 a month. All contracts state you have to have insurance and generally your employer pays for 50% of it. In my experience its worth having. Its a small price to pay in the event of something going wrong. I also ride a motorbike here so it's peace of mind for me should I ever be in an accident.

I actually live at my academy so I don't pay rent as per se. All up I pay $100 for all my utilities, tax and rent for one month. As you can see I pay less then 5% tax, but the tax laws here aren't stringent. The most I've ever heard anyone pay for rent is $200 a month. Most contracts have the employer paying for rent.

South Korea

2006-07-01T22:33:00.000+08:00

David a Perth identity has been teaching TESOL in South Korea for several years and we have a series of informal and informative letters from him for publication over the next few issues:

Thanks for the reply. I'll try go onto some more details regarding the business aspect of teaching here in Korea.

I wouldn't personally say Seoul is expensive, not especially after being in places like Tokyo and Singapore. However it can be expensive if you're not careful with your money. A lot of teachers go out drinking and having a good time every night (a late work start allows this) and you can easily blow $100-$150 a night, especially at some clubs. It boils down to sensibility, and most foreign teachers working in either Seoul or anywhere else in Korea walk away with substantial savings (expenses can be as low as a third of your pay).

Kimchi (gimchee) is Korea's pride and joy, along with its famous alcoholic beverage; soju. Restaurants have flat fees, you don't haggle prices, and its the same for everyone. I've never been overcharged and in general most places feel privileged to have a foreigner enter their establishment. In a small town like Andong I find the people exceptionally warm, even more so when I start talking with what limited Korean I know.

Korea is extremely westernised. Many people forget its the home to such companies as LG, Samsung and 3 or 4 car manufacturers. Seoul is a progressive city, and while the rest of the country has a long way to go, I wouldn't at all say its backwards. In general, people are happy, wages are increasing, and the young generation are very possibly the most educated in the world.

David

South America

2006-07-01T22:19:00.000+08:00

This has been a popular destination this year. Joyce, a teacher mate in USA has recently spent some time in Peru and also been to the Galapagos. She is a prolific and interesting writer and we will publish her over the next few issues.

Hi all. In Peru. Wide streets, lots of people, hustle and bustle and traffic. We play a game to look for the new bug cars and they have lots. Many small cars so they can wiggle in between each other. Nice hotel near the city center and across the street from Papa John Pizza. Today we are off to Couco so we will go from sea leevl to 10,000 ft. Good for me but hard on some people as they are getting altitude sickness. Still drinking onnly bottled water,. Just have to remind myself every time I go to brush my teeth. Maybe this trip will teach me to drink watrer more regularly. I am going to keep this short as people are waiting to use the computer and I need to go up and finish a few things. A longer and newsier letter to follow. Joyce.

So here I am back in Quito. First I want to tell you a few things I forgot earliers. When I arrived at 2 in the morning we were surrounded by little kids begging. Twice the car couldn't even move because they were hanging on the car so hard. It was so sad. I have seen a lot of poverty but luckily not as much as I expected.

Anyway, left early Sunday morning for the Galapagos. It took 2 flights, a bus, and a boat to get to our boat. Our boat was quite nice. It had 16 outside cabins each nicely designed with wood floors and private facilities. The boat also had a bar, a little library and a dining room. We ate three very good meals a day and late afternoon snacks. Nothing like getting out of the dingy and being met with miniature pizza. I had no problem with this. You actually get quite an appetite on a boat. Well I do as some people lose their appetite but luckily I am not one of them. No sea sickness at all.

Our days were spent visiting the various islands and the wildlife. Saw the blue-footed boobies, tons of sea lions and iguanas. Saw turtles in the water as well as the land tortoises. Lots of other hawks, gulls, etc. When you didn't know the name of something you just called it the Galapagos ____. So I saw a Galapagos dove, a galapagos hawk, etc. Not much plant life as it is all volcanic and actually quite brown and barren. You are walking on lava most of the time. I don't know that I would say it is scenic as much as I would say it is fascinating.

We went snorkeling 4 times. I snorkeled with the hammer sharks, the sealions which were amazing because they swam right with you and you can even touch them. There were lots of colorful fish, eels, starfish, turtles, etc. The water was definitely cold which to me is anything under 90 degrees and it was about 65 to 70. However I jumped in and braved the cold. I figure if the fish can do it so can I. I think that is why so many fish have blue stripes - they are shivering too.

Ofcourse when not snorkeling or walking we were just relaxing on the boat and enjoying the scenery and water. There was a family from Australia and I got into playing cards with them. Quite the game. I am going to teach it to all my gambling friends. You know who you are!

Today with all the different forms of transportation to get back to the mainland I felt like I was on the Amazing race. We took a water taxi, than a bus around the island, than another boat, and two planes. The airline is great. Even a 45 minute flight gives you a sandwich or cake and beverages. In the terminal they serve drinks while you wait. United should take a few hints from them.

Today it is raining quite hard. I came back to do my laundry, put it all in a bag, brought it to the desk and was told to pick it up tomorrow. Called me 10 minutes later to say they had no room in the machine so I have clothes hanging everywhere. I only hope they dry before I leave.

Tomorrow three of us are off to a small town 22 kms from here. We will be at the equator and will do the egg trick. Than tomorrow night we are off to Peru. As it turns out half of my group was an 8 day boat trip so 7 of us left and we will meet up with a new group of people. I do find it hard at times to be a single person among all couples. That is the one drawback that I had no control over.

So far the stomach is doing well. Feel great. ANd I am proud to say it is day 6 and I have not lost any sunglasses. I really am doing preety good. I only took a few items on the boat so less is best.

Shopping is shopping. Luckily not too much time. Still no socks to be found.

Every morning they make these delicious fruit drinks and the pineapple here is incredible. Tonight ate Chinese food which was full of fresh vegetables. No fortune cookie.

Very rainy tonight but hopefully sun will come out.

The people are quite friendly. They are not pushy or anything with the tourists which is nice. What else to say.

Oh I got bit by a big bird. I was feeding it fish and I ran out of fish so it scooped down on me and snapped my hand. It was a huge bird. I was so stunned and than just laughed. We learned a lot about staying away from the bull or big male sealion. Once we got too close and it began to chase us. You really have to look where you go because the iguanas are everywhere.

I have an early day and a lot of drying to do with the blow-dryer so I think I will end for now. I am sure I will send another message from Cusco as we are there for 4 days. Again sorry for the mistakes - I do not spell check while on vacation! So enjoy. And I will write more later and fill in with more details.

Joyce