Winter Unvacation

The bike has left me with a few lingering aches and pains, but I’m almost better now.   I’m thankful for my luck and that the accident wasn’t too serious.  Not everyone who rides a motorcycle is so lucky.  I’ve been meaning to write sooner but things are getting busy over here.  I have another impending open class next week and the schools are winding down their final exams, while gearing up for English camps.   Most teachers I know don’t like the idea of working camps.  I’m certainly no exception.

Generally I think it’s wasted time, but it does come with the territory.  Mostly it’s wasted because the lessons are all made in bubbles of isolation teachers from different parts of the city.  It’s like teaching the kids from three or four different english texts per day for four to five days.  I don’t know how much they really get from the brief exposure spread out so randomly.

Last summer I was lucky I had only one camp and it was close to the end of my vacation.  This time I’m staring at a possible 3 weeks of fun vacation teaching.  It’s only two to three times a day but making lesson plans without a text is kind of like cooking from scratch.  A lot of work goes into making something palatable. Not only is there no jet for my llama, but I’m gonna have to teach the bloody thing how to speak English! Looks like I’m going on unvacation this year…