dot dot dot

And another week goes by...

I have reached Saturday, so I'm taking the opportunity now to post an update since my weekdays here are every so slightly filling to the brim as the two schools for which I am now working keep upping my hours. This is great, right? Of course it's great, for it means I will be able to pay my bills and live a decently comfortable life while here in Granada. It also means I get the experience I need to perpetuate my career as a TEFL teacher - a foot in the door was all it took, and somehow the miracle of a JOB has fallen into my lap.

However...

While on the one hand, I'm working mostly 1:1 hours with one school, AT the school, the other school is a completely different sack of potatoes. It's a really small school, very "hands-on" (their term, not mine), and they send me out on "house calls" most of the time. This means I'm hopping - not the Metro but BUSES - all over Granada, hoofing it from one bus stop to a student's home, then to another bus stop and another student's home...and so on, until I'm completely wrecked by the end of the day, just from going between points A and B, and then lugging all my books up the hill to get home. I came home Tuesday and was so exhausted and famished that I nearly cried into my leftover pasta. What have I done? I was asking myself. But, I woke up the next days and did it all over again, and each time, it seemed a bit less stressful. It helps that I get a few hours here and there in the week to deflate, have a cafe and a cigarette, and gather my mental bearings to prepare for the next student. It also helps that a lot of my students are 1:1, and a lot of them are at similar levels, preparing for the same exams. This eliminates a lot of lesson planning, for which I am unfathomably grateful.

Anyway, I'm doing ok. This is still only the beginning of the school year, and my course load is only 3/4 of the way full. I'm apprehensive about the amount of work it's going to be when my schedule is fully complete, but this way, it allows me to take baby steps towards a full-time work week. By next month, the routine will be much easier, and it will be a lot like carrying a college schedule, so I can certainly handle that.

I really like some of my students, too. There are only two that I'm not quite sure about (a brother and sister learning from home 1 day a week), and I got lost on the way to their first lessons and it was a bit hectic just jumping into the lessons so quickly to save time, so my first impression may be entirely wrong. I have one very bright 16-yr old boy who is at a very advanced level but just has some pronunciation and vocabulary issues. He's into politics and philosophical debate, so it's really fun to talk with him and engage his interests. I think he thinks I'm pretty cool, too :)

Outside of the job, there's no real news. The house is now completely full-up (British English), with all 17 rooms now occupied. It's a great vibe when everyone's here at the same time, but lately there are these lulls when absolutely no one is around, and it's quite creepy. I just hang out in my room, look up some lesson planning ideas on the internet, and wait for people to show up and chat with me.

The most exciting non-job-related thing on the docket for me now is HALLOWEEN! We're throwing a big party in the house and everyone will be in costume. I can NOT wait.

That's all for now. Gonna go down and help a friend pick out some new prescription eyewear - what fun ; )