Life Despues The Course...

So, what have we been up to since the course finished? Here is a random assortment of our crazy antics:

- Gem and Ceri came to stay for two nights- short but very sweet! We tried to go to a jazz festival and open air-cinema at Mont Juic...but then almost got struck by lightning on top of a hill instead, as we got stuck in a massive storm. Not the relaxed summer jazz experience we'd quite had in mind. However, we decided to ignore the ever-looming grey clouds, and instead made the most of the 'rebajas' (sales), drank red wine on the girls' roof terrace (albeit a little illegally), and visited a 'vermuteria' (a place where you can exclusively buy 'vermut' (fortified wine). Click here to see the Tripadvisor reviews for 'Quimet & Quimet', the 'vermuteria' we visited. We could have perhaps done without the cheese that accompanied the vermut (we all thought we could handle the strongest of cheeses...we were wrong). It was so great to see these two lovely ladies...the next meet-up in Berlin is going to be fantastic.

Thanks to Gemma and Ceri for the pictures!

Sagrada Familiar selfie...

Quimet & Quimet- the vermuteria

Caution: this cheese tastes stronger than it looks

- We've been out with our Spanish students to 'La Vaca Paca', a great buffet place at Passieg de Gracia. 11 euros for all you can eat plus una bebida? Muy barato! We then went partying with these crazy cats after the meal at Cal Bruit (which everyone enjoyed, even if it did feel like a sauna in there), then a Brazilian bar (where we chanted everyone's name until they stood up and danced), and then, of course, the inevitable Barceloneta club-crawl. At the end of the main beach, there is an ever-so-slightly dodgy (but charmingly so) collection of clubs that are all completely gratis, which makes it very easy to hop from one to the other, depending on how good the music is. No feeling like you have to stay because you've paid your weekly-budget to get in, just pure guilt-free boogying and club-swapping. Brilliant.

- I've kept to one of my resolutions, and tried another Barcelona beach- Marbella beach, near where Erin lives. A little less busy, but still with the obligatory 'agua frio/cerveza' sellers walking up and down the beach. There are a few more beaches on my to-do list- namely Costa Brava.

- I've been trying to visit as many new areas as possible, but have mostly been hanging out around the Born district, where I'm currently living. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to stay in Barcelona- a little cheaper than the Gothic Quarter, but still so close to it- and only 15 minutes walk from the beach too! El Born is also a cool area in itself as well, especially the Creperie Bar; my favourite drink has to be the passionfruit cocktails in milk bottles!

- I'm finding it hard to eat a full meal at the moment, after falling in love with 'pintxos' (a version of 'tapas' from the Basque country). In 'pintxos' bars, there are lots of small delicacies on slices of crusty bread, e.g. chorizo, jamon, boquerones (sardines), Spanish tortilla, etc. These all have cocktail sticks stuck into them; you help yourself to these pintxos, and at the end of the night, the waiter/waitress will count how many cocktail sticks are on your plate, and charge you accordingly (usually around 2 euros per pintxo). This is a dangerous game, especially as they start bringing out new delicacies; what starts off as a cheap snack often turns more into dinner. I'm certainly not complaining- this is why I love these bars.

- We've been to view a flat in Gracia...great location, right by Park Guell, but a little underground. After my experience in Shepherd's Bush, I've always vowed that any future flats would be above ground, so unfortunately a no-no. Bryony, Erin and I are all able to stay in our hose houses in the meantime, so the search will continue at the end of August!!

As August is pretty dead in Barcelona for work, we've decided to take advantage and do a bit of backpacking! First, Taylor and Erin and I are heading to Bilbao to experience a little of the Basque country (pintxos galore!!) then Erin and I are going to Valencia to have copious tomatoes thrown at us at La Tomatina. That's how we roll. Oh, and we may pop to Montserrat (the local mountain) this weekend, just for a quick change of scenery.

That's it for now! I'll write again soon- hopefully now I have a new phone, I'll have a few pictures too. Happy agosto, everybody!

My Final Verdict On The TEFL Course...

So, it's been almost a week since I've finished the course- I just can't believe how quickly this summer is going!! It literally feels like I have blinked, and the course is suddenly over.

The last few weeks of the course were pretty intense, as I thought they would be. The teaching gradually got easier as I got more used to it, but we had increasingly more coursework due, alongside all of our lesson plans. In order to not feel swamped, this course would be best completed in 5 weeks; however, I guess the intensity of the course prepares you for the time management needed when teaching! We had to complete a detailed analysis of one learner, a Teaching Practice log, and an assignment on one material that we created ourselves, all while planning our lessons! It's definitely tough, but luckily my course-mates were always there to make me laugh and keep me sane (or keep me insane, not sure at this point!!)...

I know when I was looking for possible TEFL courses to do and trying to decide whether the CELTA or TrinityTESOL, the whole process just made me dizzy, and I really valued recommendations either way. So, I'd just like to say how awesome this course really was (and no, I wasn't paid to say that!). Here is the website, if you want to take a sneaky peek: http://www.oxfordtefl.com. Of course, the people I met on the course really helped to make the whole experience more fun, but the course itself really was a good introduction to the TEFL world.

If you are considering taking a TEFL course at Oxford House, just a few things to be aware of:

- You will be teaching from the very second day of the course. Is this terrifying? Yes! Will you feel a little overwhelmed on the first night? Probably. But trust me, this was the best thing they could have done to trainees. It means there's no scary build up to the teaching, and straight away you are putting into practice all the teaching methods that you are learning. Also, by the time you get to your teaching in the final week, you feel like a pro!
- This is related to the first one, but just try to relax from the first day, and accept that you are a novice- you do have a long way to go, and your first few lessons are going to be far from perfect, so just accept it and try to improve with every lesson you teach.
- You are going to have very little time during the course to actually enjoy Barcelona, so if you are only coming for the course and then heading back to your home country, I'd definitely recommend booking at least an extra week. Don't get me wrong, we had fun during the course in between assignments- work hard, play hard is my mantra- but guilt-free sightseeing really is the best. When the sun's shining outside, and the beach is only a 15 minute walk away, sometimes (OK, all the time) its difficult to keep your motivation up for studying. However, you've got to keep reminding yourself that it is only 4 weeks, so just throw yourself into the course, and think of all the sangrias and cava you can treat yourself to later on.
- Come with an open mind and ability to take constructive criticism. It's always tricky to be told that you're a bit rubbish at first, but you have to remember that everyone is a bit rubbish- and the tutors (especially Cat!), are amazing at making you take the positives from every lesson. The tutors really were fantastic at bringing out the best in us, without being patronising.
- Get a Nostrum card. Seriously, the best investment you can ever make. You'll see what I mean if you come here. When you're feeling particularly awesome, treat yourself to a local 'menu-del-dia' at lunchtime instead- starter, main, dessert and glass of wine for only 10 euros.

It's actually been tricky adjusting to having nothing to do during the days...but we're managing to find things to fill our time! All details of our life apres-TEFL will be coming in the next post- here are a few pics of the celebratory drinks on the last day of the course (thanks to Joy for the photos- click here to see her blog)

School photo! (l-r) Top: Frank, Jon, Bryony, Ben, Mila, Chris
Bottom: Ash, Cathy, Sasha, Erin, me, Eva
Joy, Taylor

Libby and the Zoo Dancers...

Here is a poem inspired by the great story idea of my current housemate, Patrick Timmons. I hope little Libby enjoys this poem one day!

It was raining outside, with nothing to do-
So Libby and Mummy went to the zoo.
(As the zoo was Libby's favourite place,
It put a big smile on her face!)
Libby first wanted to see the giraffes-
They never failed to make her laugh!
On her way, she heard a very strange 'yelp'-
'Little girl! Over here! We need your help!'
Libby looked left, right, up and down
What was that noise? she thought with a frown.
'Ooh ooh, aah aah, come over here quick...'
Said the monkey who then poked her with a stick!
Libby ran to the monkey as fast as she might
The monkey said 'Little girl, this is our plight-
My friend Edward and I would love to dance,
But the zookeeper won't even give us a chance!
He said visitor would not enjoy our show,
But he's just a HUMAN- what does he know?!'
'I'm a human too!' little Libby cried,
'But I can tell you are GOOD', the monkey replied,
'My name is Manuel. What's yours, little one?'
'It's Libby,' said Libby. 'So, what can be done?
How can I help to make this dance show real?'
Manuel said 'When it's time for our next meal
The zookeeper will come- you must ask him then.
It's better than us just asking again!'
'Where's Edward?' asked Libby, 'is he around?'
'No! Edward's an ELEPHANT, in that compound.'
Libby said 'Really? Well, I never-
A monkey and elephant dancing together.
I'll certainly try when it's time for your meal.'
Manuel said 'Oh, how happy that makes me feel!'
So Libby went to see zebras, tigers and a lion,
Rhinos and hippos- all while keeping an eye on
The time- and coming up with an idea
That would definitely fool the zookeeper here.
She walked up to the keeper, said 'How do you do?
I've got important information to tell you!
Two of your animals are planning a show,
But the thing is, they don't want you to know.
They plan to put the show on tonight-
But I know a way to make this right.
Put on the same outfit and join the dance-
That way, you'll have a better chance
At stopping them, any way you can.'
The zookeeper said 'That sounds like a plan!'
Libby said 'Give me five!' and ran to Manuel
And said 'You can dance! All will be well-
I need to know what costumes you will wear
And whether you happen to have one spare'.
Manuel said 'Sparkly tops, both bright blue,
And yes, for spares, I happen to have two!'
Libby took the spare, said 'Go to Edward at 8-
That's when the show starts, you mustn't be late!'
She then ran to the zookeeper, gave him the spare top,
Libby said 'Wear this outfit, then you can stop
Those pesky animals from dancing in a show.'
The zookeeper said 'You're the greatest, you know!'
So the zookeeper got changed at 8 on the dot,
He made sure that he was in the right spot,
And just before Manuel and Edward could start,
The zookeeper began to dance from the heart!
Soon, a crowd came and started clapping along,
As the keeper got more and more into the song!
People cheered, and shouted 'YOU'RE the man'!
But this had not been part of the plan!
He was not meant to find this fun!
As he boogied away in the summer sun,
Suddenly things became quite clear...
Maybe these dance shows were a good idea?
He was then joined by Edward and Manuel-
The three of them danced together well.
Once they finished, to roaring shouts of ENCORE,
Manuel said 'Libby, how did you know before
That the zookeeper would let us dance after all?'
Libby said, 'Well, it was a tricky call,
But once he started dancing, I knew he'd smile,
And that it would be worth EVERYONE'S while!'
They still dance as a trio- the Brilliant Blues,
And they're hoping to tour other zoos,
All because of young Libby being so smart-
Her great ideas really set her apart.
So, next time that you go to the zoo,
See if you can see these three dance too!

La Primera Semana...

So, here we are...one week down, three weeks to go. Everyone who has done the Teaching English as a Foreign Language course told me that it was a little intense, but I still don't think I was prepared for just how intense the course would be.

But let's hold up, and start from the beginning. I'm currently staying with the lovely Francesca and Marc, British and Spanish respectively- and the location of their apartment is awesome. We're right on one of the many squares of the Gothic Quarter, which is still my favourite part of Barca. The centuries-old narrow windows that have washing lines attached, the dozens of identical windows surrounding us from every angle...this truly feels like quintessential Barcelona living.

How am I feeling about the course itself? A little overwhelmed right now, if I'm honest...but I guess that's to be expected. We were teaching a 45 minute lesson almost every day from the second day of the course- and considering that the most day was mostly admin and course overview, most of all didn't really know what we were doing. Although a little intimidating, it's always good to be thrown into the deep end; you just have to remember that the people you are teaching are really decent people, and willing to learn. What is the worst that can happen?

One week on, I'm definitely getting into my stride a little bit more. I've met some great people- a few Americans, a few Brits, a Greek, a Ukranian, a Singaporean and a Bosnian- and had a few late nights with them all. I've managed to do a little exploring- wandering around the old city on Sunday, I accidentally found the archeological ruins in the old market hall of El Born. I love the story behind these- the city's council actually wanted to build a library in this disused market hall, but when they were digging up the foundations, they found an amazingly-well preserved mini-city lying underneath. You can make out the houses, the roads- even the local pub! I feel like Barcelona is a city of accidental surprises- and I can't wait to uncover them all.

My goals for the next few weeks:

1. Pass the course has to rate pretty highly here
2. Practice my Spanish more regularly, and not rely on people's knowledge of English
3. Discover more local places for cava, cidra, and tapas
4. Branch out to some of the quieter beaches to the north of the city
5. Use the Metro as little as possible

Let's see what the next few weeks will bring...