Jul

29

Wonderful World

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Three summers ago, I was in Ukraine, teaching English to young and old Ukrainians on a voluntary basis. Preparing the lessons and classroom materials was rather tedious, but the general experience was fun and fulfilling.

While my first stint as an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher in Prague — I was still a trainee at that time — a year before proved to be challenging and at some point “bumpy,” my English teaching program in the Ukrainian town of Kremenchuk went smoothly. It could be that in Ukraine I got to spend more time with my students than what was afforded to me in the Czech Republic, where I taught general English in different classes under the scrutiny of meticulous British teacher trainers. Or it could also be that, after my intensive month-long TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course, I came more prepared…and more confident. My lessons were more cohesive, too.

Armed with English coursebooks, homemade worksheets, writing materials, and CDs, I taught English in one of the spacious classrooms of a Bible college, generously provided for by the local Christian church in Kremenchuk.

My students seemed to enjoy the lineup of activities I prepared day by day. At one point, I handed them a lyrics sheet of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” — I just love this inspiring song — with info gaps (blank lines) here and there that the students had to fill in as they listened to the CD. It was a vocabulary-building task, which I thought they would enjoy. And they did — immensely. My students said they loved the melody and the message of the song. If I remember it right, they learned this song by heart right away. One male student told me during breaktime, “I love that song.”

After the info gap exercise, I started a free-wheeling discussion. I asked them, “What makes you happy?” “What are your favorite things?” It was meant to encourage them to practice their speaking skills. Each one of them gave his/her respective answer. Smiles. Chocolates. Summertime. I particularly remember a student response that pleasantly surprised me and effortlessly warmed my heart: “My English teacher makes me happy.” That was Vladimir’s earnest reply. For a while, I was speechless.

On my last day with my Ukrainian students (i.e., the first two groups of learners I handled), we listened to the CD again and we all sang with Louie. I dedicated my “performance” to all of them, who happily shared their wonderful world with me in the summer of 2005.

Nov

12

Flu Attack

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It was a mistake to go out of the apartment, wearing just a flimsy shirt and a thin jacket, amid the cold weather conditions last Sunday. So now, I’m down with the flu (argh).

It was a miracle that I was able to go to Basel with my husband yesterday to visit Mami, his stepmother (I even learned how to knit at that time!). And it was a miracle that I was able to attend our German class early this morning and go through the motions — taking notes, doing groupwork, and even reciting — despite a slight headache and a runny nose.

However, when I was in the middle of writing a news report for the Hong Kong-based travel trade magazine shortly after lunch, I suddenly felt so weak I just had to go to bed. Bad sign. Tsk, tsk.

There are lots of things I still need to do in the coming days. I can’t afford to get sick. Not now.

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