Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Hot and muggy today...
I made two runs into town again today. One of the two people I had to school yesterday may well still show up for the preliminary meeting, and maybe having had my special brand of sensitivity training will make a decent student of him. If he doesn't show, I don't care, but if he shows, I'll get the first couple of guys started. I don't really think his car was broken either.... The missed meeting, now show no call, coincided with a football game. He accepted the meeting time, it would have been perfectly fine to just SAY he had something else to do...
Then he followed it up by SMSing me the moment the damned game was over, asking unwarrented personal questions, getting schooled, and then saying to please not think anything bad about him.
I am sorry, but I DO when people behave that way. I don't deserve that. I am perfectly willing to accept that tutoring and teaching English may not here pay as well as I was paid to JUST SIT AROUND WAITING at the Yakima Gulag People's Institute of Higher ReEducation... What I am NOT willing to accept is this form of disrespect, that guys who should have been reading the Personals call me, pretend they want to learn English and then turn out to want Something Else.
The guy who may or may not show was informed that it is uncultured, and stupid to be that way.
I went by a place that has shawls, last year I got a lovely turquoise colored pašmina from that lady, and a little scarf with sequins more recently. She does want to learn English. So I set up a class time for her. She has a little place that has a room or two, and a lot of her customers speak English but no Bosnian and she doesn't speak English. Hilarity can ensue! She has decided that was enough fun and I cut her a break, on two conditions, she recommends me to her friends, and starts right away.
She hopes to drop by tomorrow night. I far prefer female students, fewer issues all around! She does want me to teach her husband too, and she understands me not wanting to work with like just one guy. So they plan to come together, and it will be just basic stuff, so they can tell people prices, handle problems, and be able to make better money. Like I said to them, 'It's not like you need to read contracts or Shakespear!'
Anyway, that is great!
I went home and seriously cleaned the bathroom. I have come to hate area rug like things in bathrooms. They collect dirt much more than just a flooor. The floor in there is lovely blue ceramic tile and the little bit of rug is icky, blue stuff, that sticks to my feet and squishes, I don't always put on slippers before going in there, sometimes I am in too much of a hurry! I will wash it and air it, and put it away. When I move, I can put it back the way it was. :).
The bus broke down on the way home, and a replacement bus did not seem to be on it's way. I walked until my ankle gave me a problem, at which point, I took a taxi, even though I wasn't so far from home. but before that point, there was a guy selling books, and for 20KM I picked up a simple text book with handy phrases, and a dictionary. Both really were Serbian, but they had a good transliteration page, , and that will be helpful for students. It's all fairly close. There were some cute misprints.
The heat is hard on me, and it is especially hard when it is hot followed by cold. This morning it was just hot, now it is up and down.
The decertified police who have been protesting in front of the Parliment building may go on hunger strike. Ever since the whole hunger strike deal in Northern Ireland, I have HATED, really HATED that form of protest. It is self destructive, and really I wonder what it ever gains.
I did not bring my camera into town today either, because I knew I was going to purchase something in town, and knew I wanted to take the bus, and this trip, I am going straight home, and also just want the load light. I proably will take a taxi again, out of sheer exhaustion. Two people called me while I was negotiating with the female student, and from land-lines, so I did not take either call, I didn't reject either call either, just didn't answer. So when I called back, they refused the call. I don't care for that. Frankly, it annoyed me also. I do call people back. I just can't always answer, seriously with any change in my so far dismal luck, I will be holding classes some of the time. SMS is WAY less obtrusive!
The other reason I go with SMS is it is a slower means of communicating, and here in Europe, SMS is cheaper than in the States. Plus you can save messages to the calendar, which is handy if somebody is playing stupid guy tricks.
Then he followed it up by SMSing me the moment the damned game was over, asking unwarrented personal questions, getting schooled, and then saying to please not think anything bad about him.
I am sorry, but I DO when people behave that way. I don't deserve that. I am perfectly willing to accept that tutoring and teaching English may not here pay as well as I was paid to JUST SIT AROUND WAITING at the Yakima Gulag People's Institute of Higher ReEducation... What I am NOT willing to accept is this form of disrespect, that guys who should have been reading the Personals call me, pretend they want to learn English and then turn out to want Something Else.
The guy who may or may not show was informed that it is uncultured, and stupid to be that way.
I went by a place that has shawls, last year I got a lovely turquoise colored pašmina from that lady, and a little scarf with sequins more recently. She does want to learn English. So I set up a class time for her. She has a little place that has a room or two, and a lot of her customers speak English but no Bosnian and she doesn't speak English. Hilarity can ensue! She has decided that was enough fun and I cut her a break, on two conditions, she recommends me to her friends, and starts right away.
She hopes to drop by tomorrow night. I far prefer female students, fewer issues all around! She does want me to teach her husband too, and she understands me not wanting to work with like just one guy. So they plan to come together, and it will be just basic stuff, so they can tell people prices, handle problems, and be able to make better money. Like I said to them, 'It's not like you need to read contracts or Shakespear!'
Anyway, that is great!
I went home and seriously cleaned the bathroom. I have come to hate area rug like things in bathrooms. They collect dirt much more than just a flooor. The floor in there is lovely blue ceramic tile and the little bit of rug is icky, blue stuff, that sticks to my feet and squishes, I don't always put on slippers before going in there, sometimes I am in too much of a hurry! I will wash it and air it, and put it away. When I move, I can put it back the way it was. :).
The bus broke down on the way home, and a replacement bus did not seem to be on it's way. I walked until my ankle gave me a problem, at which point, I took a taxi, even though I wasn't so far from home. but before that point, there was a guy selling books, and for 20KM I picked up a simple text book with handy phrases, and a dictionary. Both really were Serbian, but they had a good transliteration page, , and that will be helpful for students. It's all fairly close. There were some cute misprints.
The heat is hard on me, and it is especially hard when it is hot followed by cold. This morning it was just hot, now it is up and down.
The decertified police who have been protesting in front of the Parliment building may go on hunger strike. Ever since the whole hunger strike deal in Northern Ireland, I have HATED, really HATED that form of protest. It is self destructive, and really I wonder what it ever gains.
I did not bring my camera into town today either, because I knew I was going to purchase something in town, and knew I wanted to take the bus, and this trip, I am going straight home, and also just want the load light. I proably will take a taxi again, out of sheer exhaustion. Two people called me while I was negotiating with the female student, and from land-lines, so I did not take either call, I didn't reject either call either, just didn't answer. So when I called back, they refused the call. I don't care for that. Frankly, it annoyed me also. I do call people back. I just can't always answer, seriously with any change in my so far dismal luck, I will be holding classes some of the time. SMS is WAY less obtrusive!
The other reason I go with SMS is it is a slower means of communicating, and here in Europe, SMS is cheaper than in the States. Plus you can save messages to the calendar, which is handy if somebody is playing stupid guy tricks.
# posted by Katja R. @ 6:12 AM 
