Monday, April 7, 2014

If the world still exists, in 5 years' time my day may look (more or less) like this.

I hate Mondays (just like most of people), but there is something I hate even more, i.e. getting up at 6am. I'd rather stay in bed till noon. OK, I take a quick shower, dry my hair, iron my clothes, put them on, have some sandwiches and tea. I take everything I need, kiss Tomek (who does not have to go to work so early!) goodbye, and leave our 'sunny house' as we call it. I go to the garage and start my old red Mini Morris (old, but still great) and drive to work.
On my way to school, I stop and buy some muffins in one of Kalina's bakeries. YES, they are the best :)
After spending a few hours with my junior and senior high school students, I go back home where I prepare some dinner and wait till Tomek gets home.
I the afternoon (or rather late afternoon) I go to a private language school where I have 2 of 3 English classes.
Then I finally get home where I can relax together with my husband.
It was a long long day, but a very good one, because I started and finished it with Tomasz :)

and here is a lolcat for you :) kudos

just because I love lolcats :)

YEA Obama!

The words immediately associated with Barack Obama's presidential campaign are: CHANGE and PROGRESS. In the near future we'll be able to see if he will put these words into practice and if they are not just empty promises. But actually, I am truly convinced that he is going to fullfill most, if not all, of his promises. He is a highly inspiring and motivating human being. He is an incredibly charismatic born leader and... last but not least, he is a really handsome guy :)
You can say what you want, but everyone is better than George W. Bush... and Obama is just great :P
I hope we'll change Kaczynski for someone like Obama (I know, I know, let's be realistic... it's Poland :P). By the way, isn't Kaczyński similar to Bush in some (hmmm... quite many?) respects? :P
Once more: Yea Obama!

Don't let them KILL you :)

Since I love The Killers and Krzysiek P. hates them, I decided to put this song here :P
ENJOY :P

(btw, Flowers rocks :P)

Teaching practice

To be honest, before I started studying at TTC, I never thought I would ever like to be a teacher. But things have changed and I've been teaching in a language school in my hometown for 4 months so far... and I must say I REALLY like it :)

My very first lesson took place at the beginning of summer holidays and it was some kind of a trial lesson - I was observed by my future boss, which made me very very VERY stressed, and 'my learners' were adults, which made me even more stressed. It was the first time I had to put theory into practice and it turned out not to be so easy. I remember preparing for this lesson for the whole day and still feeling totally stressed out, even paranoid :P What is more, the day was extremely hot (about 35 degrees) and we wouldn't have survived without air conditioning.
But generally, I survived it and realized it wasn't as bad as I had expected it to be; I received some comments and advice what to focus on and what to improve, which I found very useful and helpful.

My first lesson in a public school was with 2nd grade junior high school students and it took place in November. I was scared simply because it was the first time I had to conduct a lesson with more than 3 people :P I couldn't imagine myself standing in front of 16 students because the situation wasn't equal - it was 16 to 1! In my mind's eye, I could see them putting a garbage bin on my head and behaving like animals :P
Fortunately, the class was really great and friendly and I was surprised to discover that I am able to handle discipline problems (of course, like in every class, there were 2 or 3 students who misbehaved from time to time). I managed to do everything I had planned, the students understood everything and participated in the lesson actively. The next day my mentor teacher told me that the class was constantly asking about me and they wanted to know when they would have another lesson with me, which was really nice.

Today I know that teaching is something I want to do in the future. I want to develop in this field and be a good language teacher in the future.
On the basis of my 4 month 'experience' in teaching (at a private school) I have discovered that working with teenagers, junior and senior high school students, is something I love. They are just great - I can talk to them freely, we understand and like each other. Generally, it's fun.
So far, I find my job very rewarding and I hope it won't change :)

OMG!

Chupa Chuck is my new hero :)

Xmas :D

I feel it in my fingers,
I feel it in my toes,
Christmas is all around me,
and so the feeling grows

It's written in the wind,
It's everywhere I go,
So if you really love Christmas,
C'mon and let it snow

Yes, Christmas is just in a few days, but unfortunately I do not feel the Christmas atmosphere yet. Of course, Christmas season is very well visible in huge shopping malls, where everything is so glittery, almost saying 'look over here!', 'buy this!', 'spend all your money here!'...
Perhaps I don't feel the atmosphere because of these two more days at college when everybody else is at home preparing everything for Christmas, cleaning the house, decorating Christmas trees...

But it wasn'y always so. My childhood memories of Christams are very cheerful nd pleasant :) I always laugh at myself when I think how much I pretended to look as if I didn't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree :P Our dad always took us to our cousin, Adam, to give him Christmas presents, then we went for grandma and returned with her and the presents were already there! Unfortunately, Santa had already left :P Delicious Christmas dinner, opening presents, talking, laughing, watching 'Kevin' - these are my childhood memories of Christmas :)

I do hope this year's Christmas will be full of happiness, that everyone will spent it surrounded by people you love and care about... MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

It's my big brother and me in 1993 (I think I don't have a few front teeth on this photo:P)