Stage 2

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Well the TESOL course is over, we won't know until next Wednesday if we passed or not. However if we only needed minor changes to our Portfolio they were to let us know before yesterday evening and I have not heard. The Portfolio consisted of two papers, a daily journal, observations forms on your peers, self evaluations of each class we thought, and all our lesson plans for those classes along with supporting documentation. It was not a walk in the park! The material is graded here and then sent to England in hard copy to be verified by Chichester College. Thus the delay until next Wednesday to see if we pass. This school has an international accreditation so I should be qualified to be an ESL teacher anywhere.

Now the hard part, looking for work. The resumes have been flying but no responses yet. Schools are just finishing their exams this week so it will be next week before they start looking at the new term which starts on or around November 1.

I think I have mentioned that dress uniform is long sleave shirts and ties. I was in a part of town last night with one of the guys from our class and in that part of town there are a large number of language schools. You can spot the teachers a mile away, they are all white and they are all wearing ties. The young white women you see are all dressed in dresses, we really stand out! The head of the school where I took the course warned everyone, that if we are dressed like that, our behaviour should be exemplary becasue all Thais know who we are. So for you farang travellers in Asia you should be able to spot an english teacher!

The rains and floods continue here, the northern part of the country is largely under water. Last night the rain here in Bangkok was crazy. I was out till about 8pm and about 8:30 it came down hard, when I closed my curtains around 10 it was still coming down. I am not sure where all the water is going. It was bad last year but this year seems much worse. Damages to crops and tourism infrastructure in the north is in the millions. The main street in Chiang Mai where I visited last year was completely submerged earlier this week. Even temples are not being spred. There is a picture in the Bangkok paper today of monks living in tents becasue their temple has more than a meter of water in it.

Talking about monks, some of you will remember my story last year about how amazed I was at the deep respect here for monks. Well I ride the subway here most days now, called MRT here Metro Rapid Transit, it is the cleanest subway system I have ever been on. I digress. In each subway car they ask the public to give up their seats for the elderly, for pregnant women etc, but they list them in priority and you guessed it monks have first priority. I am still amazed.

Well that is about it, I wrote this blog yesterday but the site was down so I am only publishing today. Spent the rest of yesterday pounding th streets distributing the Resume. Think it is difficult looking for work in your home country, trying doing it when you can't speak the language!!

Have a great day.

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Comments

[Cindy Carr]

Living through your eyes
I just love following your blog .. seeing it through Canadian eyes .. I don't think I will ever be lucky enough to visit .. but I am enjoying your journey.