CHALLENGE COMPLETED

Freedom!

After four weeks of lessons, teaching practice, planning for teaching practice, reading, studying and assignments, we’ve finally completed the CELTA training course.

It was not easy.  Sleep deprivation, prolonged stress and total absence of down-time made it tough for everyone on the course.  There were arguments.  There were tears.  There were moments of genuine stage-fright.  There were penguins.  But somehow we all pulled through and aced that sucker!

It’s amazing how quickly bonds of friendship are formed when you’re trapped in the same room as a dozen people every day for a month.  It almost becomes a survival story.  By the end of week three we were one step away from madness and cannibalism.

I owe my pass grade to my awesome teammates, Kat and Palwasha; to my five tutors at the ELTC who made things as simple as possible for our weary brains; and to the class in general, who made it a much more enjoyable time than it ever needed to be.

So, what now for David?  Task 1 is getting a job.  I’m in talks with one promising looking school in Xi’an, Shaanxi province of China.  More on that later.  For now I’m going to put my feet up, drink unhealthy amounts of tea, and try to remember what it feels like to relax.

It’s coming back to me quite quickly!

—db