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Published: March 19th 2009
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Ok so things have gone a tad awry since I last published a blog.....
Effectively last Monday afternoon we had hit the bar and as per usual we met up with Guy in there. Anyway he ended up being called away for an emergency meeting and when he came back he said he needed a meeting with all of us back at the chalet at which point we knew it was bad news. Anyway it transpires the company I came out here with, Global Sports Xperience, hadn't paid the ski school their final installment of money and so that night we got told the course was canceled and we had to leave the chalet by Friday. We had previous problems back in January over money and payment however after a lot of e:mails and phonecalls the issues did get resolved between Global and the ski school. However his time around it was apparent that it was slightly more serious and Global couldn't hide behind their mantra of financial restructuring which is what they had said in Jan.
Anyway lots of phonecalls and stress later the company went into official administration on Friday although we knew that it was coming
two days earlier.....
So what does it mean for me effectively my decision has been to stay out here as we only had 10 days left (I head for New York on Wednesday). Thankfully the ski school have been great and helped us out so five of us are continuing to stay in the chalet we were in but we are having to paying for it ourselves. Hopefully I should be able to get my money back from ABTA but its going to be a huge pain in the backside. It also means that we can't take our level 2 exam and we miss out on various other activities and courses that we had paid for!!!
All is rosy though as at least I get to stay out here and continue skiing till the end.... two of the guys headed home Sunday and Marie-Eve my roommate moved out on Friday!! So dinner are now just the five of us which was a bit odd.
Since I'm not taking my level 2 this week I am helping out at the ski school and doing some work experience as it is one of their busiest weeks as it is
spring break in Ontario and they have a mass invasion. Two of the other guys have also requested work if possible. The Ski school weren't able to promise us how much work but did agree they would send some work our way and Sunday afternoon the phonecall came through confirming that we were to start work tomorrow at 10am. Although we had to roll up at 9.15 am or earlier as we are to be kitted out with official instructor jackets and also be given instructions as to how the day is to work i.e start, finish, lunch etc.
The story behind the jackets is that since we have been out here one of the boarders, George, has been pestering Guy every time he has seen him for a jacket and every time Guy has said no as the didn't have enough spares anyway last night we had a mini farewell party and Guy announced that for those doing work experience they would get jackets for the week - George was like a dog with two tails and to be fair when we all put the jackets on for the first time I think we all had smiles on
our faces!!!
As is always the way with me my first day instructing didn't start off straight forward. I ended up shadowing another instructor. We had 7 5-8 year olds. Anyway just as we were leaving the ski school in the morning I got brought one kid who was sobbing his heart out and told he had just gone backwards down a slight incline and fallen over. So I bent down and tried to establish his name but couldn't get anything but screaming..... anyway I ended up pushing him along to try and catch up with the rest of the group trying to talk to him but getting nothing but "I want my Mummy and Daddy". Lise, one of the assistant directors of the ski school, came along and tried to calm him but after two attempts handed me an orange id jacket and told me that he may want to take his skis off. I tried everything but he was not for listening. Eventually I was able to get the jacket on him and leave the ski school area. Now the worst part of the whole debacle that was embarrassing enough is that all this went on in
front of a load of parents and at least 15 ski instructors including JF the director of the ski school, Guy and Lise the two assistant directors and about 4 others instructors I know really well. Every single one of the instructors was looking at me and laughing....... Granted they were laughing on the basis that they were thanking god that it wasn't them but all I caould think was that it could only happen to me!!!
The rest of the week teaching the kids has been great although a steep learning curve. I have now ended up with a group of four kids of my own and believe me after five hours with them (I have to sit with them and sort them out at lunch) I am always read for a beer and then when I get home I'm pretty much cabbaged for the night.
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