16 octobre 2008
Back to la Fac !
As if i had not enough work like that, i started teaching French to Queen's University students, once a week, each monday, from 6am to 8pm. I have 22 students, at least at the beginning, and it's not less hard than what i do each day in my official work.
Here is the Queen's University. Founded in 1845 to compete with Trinity College in Dublin. Seamus Heaney, 1995 Nobel Prize winner, Mary McAleese (Irish President 1990-97), or Liam Neeson have studied in these walls ! Of course, this is not my main building. Mine is a building a glass, plastic and concrete, behind the original building.
Comme si je n' avais pas assez de boulot comme ça, j' ai commencé lundi 13 Octobre à donner des cours de Français à la Queen's University ! J'ai 22 étudiants pour la classe de French Level A1, les lundis de 18h à 20h c' est-à-dire la classe des débutants absolus. Autant dire que ce n' est pas la sinécure qu'on peut croire.
Ca, c'est l'Université. Un petit côté Harry Potter, néanmoins moi je donne mes cours dans les bâtiments modernes, derrière celui-ci. Dans ces murs ont étudié des gens aussi différents que Liam Neeson, Seamus Heaney (Prix Nobel 95) ou Mary McAleese (présidente d'Irlande de 90 à 97) Le but était de sortir un peu de mon boulot et de rencontrer des natifs du coin ! Mais assez curieusement, le principal contingent de mes élèves est originaire d'Asie : Taiwan, Chine, Malaisie, Kirghiztan se disputent les chaises et sont de loin les plus motivés.
08 septembre 2008
Long time no see...
Almost two months without any news on this blog. Life goes on. Lot of work, few spare time and even less money ! My misfortunes with HSBC knew a new episode in the middle of August when two more cheques were honoured by my-bank-who-told-me-last-month-that-they-had-cancelled-my-chequebook ! One of these cheques was for a sum of 900 (nine hundred!) pounds ! So, me and my wallet didnt really feel like partying in August, and i am now looking for a new bank.
However, some things happened. My company organized a Quizz Party, where employees were asked to team up and compete together. Of course, i had mine, and we finished... last. Which was good too because we won... an empty promotional Corona bucket, and a shot of something which tasted like Vodka and detergent together. But i am very proud not to know Brad Pitt and Angelica Jolie's babies or the name of the fancy UK band of the moment. No surprise we lost !
At work, I am very close from the end of my probation. It seems i have done well enough to deserve the right to stay for as long as they need me (and as long as i need them). The problem is that I feel this job is beginning to dry my brain out. How long will I stand this ?