Nerves

[JohnnyPing]

Hola a todos!

Whew, well I gotta say as the date for going to Spain approaches, I'm starting to get a little nervous. I have my plane ticket and paid in full my **** course dues and am emailing people on Loqou madrid about a place to stay (personally the best website I've found so far that deals with housing).

But like I said, I'm starting to get a little nervous, Spain is a long way from home, family and friends. Still, I plan to push ahead with my plans and live the adventure up . I must say, when I started the Summer '05 thread I half expected no one to respond to it, so far we have 14 responses to date, which is really exciting for me. I've also been in email contact with a couple of people as well. Its a comfort to know that so many people will be in the same boat as I am (though I do feel a bit like the johnny-come-lately to the scene as I am arriving in late july).

I don't supose this post has a purpose other than the fact that I'm a little nervous and just wanted to get it out there. As promised, I will work on a date and a place for a bunch of expats to get together, though I get the impression there are already a lot of regular meeting places as it is (I think I saw a post about a weekly meeting at an irish pub and have it bookmarked somewhere). Other than that I just encourage other people who are going soon (or just got there) and nervous to reply to this or drop me an email. I'll be there soon amigos!!

John

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[spanishsueños]

I think what you are feeling is normal quite normal.

Well I hope it is, because when I was in your shoes, I felt it too! Actually, I didn't start to really get nervous until I was sitting on the plane. I was thinking \"What the heck am I doing?!\"

But, it was the best decision of my life so far. I learned a lot that first year. I am so glad I took that step!

Now I just can't wait to get back to España! (3 years?)

You will look back and smile in a year or two, just wait.

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[Love2Teach]

Hi John,

I am in the same situation.  I'm leaving July 28th to begin my CELTA program at the beginning of August.  After that I will need to find work to keep afloat for the next couple of months.  I'm not that nervous yet as I have done my research and am pretty much set for the entire month.  Right now I am just trying to get through my last couple of weeks at work.  I'm sure I'll get nervous in a couple of weeks.

If your up for it, I'd like to stay in touch to compare the differences between our TEFL courses.  If you're on your own at the end of July before your course starts, email me and perhaps we can meet up for a drink!

Kristy

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[lizziee]

Hi Love2Teach and JohnnyPing and anyone else in this situation. I felt just the same way as you last December/January, just before we moved in. I'm from the north-east of England, and felt that was far, far away from Madrid. Would we find friends, jobs, like where we were living, like the Spanish :rolleyes:  etc etc etc. It's still scary at times, and we get homesick (never at the same time, thank goodness), but I wouldn't change it for the world. A few days of cooler weather would be nice , but otherwise we enjoy everything about our new lives.

When you get across (where are you from, Johnny?) give a shout on the board. There's lots of good advice from Tony, Rebecca et al and get yourself out among the expats and you'll soon find lots of friends to share your new experiences.

I'm not going to be dismissive and tell you not to worry, because that's impossible, and I'm a great believer in the darkest hour being just before the dawn (and believe me, from one who's just finished, there will be many darkest hours on those TEFL courses) so I can't say it will all be plain sailing. It will be tough at times, but the good times (there will be lots and lots and lots of those) more than make up for it.

Have a great time before your move, and if you need someone to have a few canas with when you get across, my email is always open.

   

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[Love2Teach]

Thanks Lizziee!  I've read a couple of your other posts.  How long have you been teaching English?  I'm taking the CELTA course in August, is there anything you highly recommend that I do before I leave?  

I feel like on every post I need to thank everyone that helps to answer my questions, this site is the best!  Thank you!!!!!!!

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[Iano]

Deary me, 'twas a year ago now that I myself was submitting posts on this very website, detailing my own nervous stutters and shudders at the thought of packing it all in to have a crack at the 'TEFL life' in Madrid. I feel a lot older now and a lot wiser....

All I can say it good luck, keep an open mind, be wary of dodgy work offers, don't be afraid to ask for extra help from your tutors with regard to assignments and always go to your tutor at the end of each day if you have any questions, issues or concerns reagdring any teaching that you may have to do the following day. There's nothing worse than some sleepless nights, staying up 'til 4am trying to work out what looked like a perfectly easy 20 minute lesson 12 hours beforehand!   Always ask for help....

You are arriving in Madrid at one of the hottest times of the year...be careful, all you fellow pasty types not blessed with an attractive sallow complexion :lol:

Academies should be recruiting from September for the academic year ahead. Get in there quick with your CVs'

Ian

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[JohnnyPing]

Hey everyone--

Thanks so much for your kind words and advice, I wasn't thinking for a second of not going, but I certainly was/am nervous (and excited ). I would love to get together with people for drinks and cañas when we get over there, half of why I'm doing this is to meet new and interesting people.

Kristy-- I would love to exchange thoughts on our different courses, and surprisingly I Think I'm flying over the exact same day as you are! We will be in touch .

And I'm from New York Lizzie

Saludos!

John



 

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[karyn]

Hi Everyone!
This was such a great time for me to read this, because I leave on Monday night for Espana (Valencia to be exact) and I have had QUITE a time dealing with saying all of my goodbyes, quitting my job, trying to sell my place and my car and leaving for what I KNOW will be a wonderful experience.  I really felt good after reading everyone's input, and although I know there will be many challenges, it feels great to be reminded that I am not alone in this and there are people who know what's going on inside.   :blink:  Thanks all for the words of encouragement (although not directed to me) that helped me realize that in a matter of days, none of this craziness will matter much anymore.  At least not until CELTA starts on July 4th!    

Karyn    

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[tonytorero]

There's some good mojo moving around on this thread folks. I want to thank you all for... aportando a vuestros granitos (Giving your two cents) on this ALL important subject.

I don't know. I'm nervous by nature so never really stopped feeling nervous either before or after my move. It's normal to second guess yourself and constantly ask yourself if you're doing the right thing. At the same time though, something really can be said for planning and coming into this particular adventure with as much planning and info as possible. (Money helps too! ) At the same time, don't expect the expected. Execution pretty much never mimics planning to a 'T'.

So many things happened to me that I didn't expect once I was here. It didn't really hurt me or throw me back though because of the planning my wife and I had done before we actually made the leap. I guess it's kind of like the preparation a good jazz musician goes through. Sure, Coltrane, Parker, Getz, etc. play a great improvised solo and move along with the rhythm section though they may do something you don't expect now and then but, without the hours and hours of practice that went into the piece they're playing, where they're going with that particular piece wouldn't go as fluid as it does and they wouldn't be as capable of meeting the unexpected events that happen around them.

Now, that analogy may only make sense to me, but that wouldn't the first time. Maybe I'll get lucky and someone else will get it!    

Great thread folks. Thanks for making the café a very 'jazzy' place for 'the hippest' of ESL info and the 'most harmonic' of communities that can uplift anyone. Very cool stuff indeed!  B)

   

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[lizziee]

Hi Love2Teach

I did a couple of TEFL tasters over the last few years to see if I would enjoy it before forking out so much money, and did the Trinity TESOL course in May - so I'm a newbie! Get a hold of How To Teach English, by Jeremy Harper, and read it cover to cover and then back again. He speaks in plain English and gives great advice. Also (boring), brush up on your grammar and start getting to know your phonetics alphabet (I presume CELTA use it just as much as TESOL). Finally - and the best part - surf the web for advice and ideas and buy lots and lots of thick coloured paper to mount your materials on. Our flat is like a Blue Peter set (do Americans have anything like Blue Peter? It's a kids programme famous for making stuff out of cardboard and sticky back plastic) with glue and paper (tenses, prepositions, games etc) all making materials to use time and time again. Be creative, let your mind go, and enjoy it all.

Outwith the Celta, start sitting in front of your oven - with it on at full blast - for a few hours a day. That'll help you get ready for the weather in Madrid  :lol:    :lol:

Besos

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[zorrasabia]

Hi Love2teach,

Lizziee's given some great advice, for your pre-Celta last few days!  It's certainly worth getting resource materials together, beforehand!  Once your course begins, there's so little time!!   Pictures of everyday objects, found in magazines or downloaded from the internet, are a huge help! Magazines in Spain, in English, are very expensive! Of course, good schools will provide resources, but you'd be competing with all your course's other students for those, so gather those images now -you'll save so much time, which you'll be able to spend on your assignments! lol!
 

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[zorrasabia]

Hi Love2teach,

Sorry, but my previous message vanished, to reappear on this thread!   :angry:

I was going to list other topics, inc. landscapes - I took illustrated calendars from home, so was able to introduce  students to my own city and the surrounding countryside!  I cut out the pictures,  stuck them onto card and laminated them - it went down a treat, in the classroom!.  

 Other subjects to be found in magazine or internet illustrations could  include examples of sports, occupations, recreational activities, homes,  shops, cars, computers, cell phones, clothes, festivals, events, famous people, seasons of the year, boats, trees, flowers, tourist attractions etc etc.

     :cafe:   :book:

Pictures could then be displayed on the card singly, in pairs or in groups.

All of the above, and more, will provide you with great visual aids, for lesson prep. suitable for all levels!  You'll be able to adapt their use, dependent on the lesson's purpose.  (Don't label them in English, or students won't need to practise their own vocabulary!).  They weigh little, even attached to card, so can be packed flat, in your suitcase!  

Music's also great for lessons, so check out 'lyric' sites, for songs, suitable for lessons on various subjects and print them off! Make sure you have the C.D. or tape at hand, to play the song through, in your lesson! Students really enjoy music in class!   B)

As Lizziee said, you'll gain from knowing the phonetic alphabet, beforehand! Likewise, the main grammatical terms!  I  also endorse her recommendation of Jeremy Harper's book - brilliant!    

If you plan to use the internet for lesson prep. do note down your favourite sites, to save time, when searching,  esp. if using an 'internet cafe or school machine!  You can get great ideas from 'free handout' sites and others aimed at TEFL tutors!  Browse some of these, now to help familiarisation!

BTW - lined paper was so hard to find, in Barcelona! Most kids use graph paper, in school! So take several  A4  pads, for your own tutorial notes -we all used significant numbers of these! Stationery was so expensive to buy, there!  Try to keep your own files organised, in a systemic way! You'll be acquiring so many pieces of paper , daily, it's tough finding stuff, once it's mislaid!  (Time is in very short supply, on the Celta course and it'll be incredibly hot! LOL).  

I'm sure you'll really be so glad you did the course - when it's done!
You'll also enjoy some of it!  

Just kidding - it'll be great - don't forget to sleep, though! LOL    :siesta:

Regards,
Zorrasabia.  

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[lizziee]

BTW - lined paper was so hard to find, in Barcelona! Most kids use graph paper, in school! So take several A4 pads, for your own tutorial notes -we all used significant numbers of these!

Yeah - it's a nightmare trying to find normal lined paper. It's either graph or double lined stuff! Good point!!

   

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[tonytorero]

Sorry, but my previous message vanished, to reappear on this thread!   :angry:

Hiya Zorrasabia... From an admin point of view, are you reporting a problem with the board software. I didn't quite understand what you meant by this line. I can promise you that nobody on the admin team moved your post as I've just checked the logs.

Anyway, no biggie but let us know if there's a problem so we can look into it.

    B) **We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming!**   B)  

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[El Manco]

hey tod@s,

back to the kind words and advice for us soon-to-be immigrants (does anyone else feel like the storybook character about to sail across the atlantic with a sackful of belongings, headed for the land of opportunity?), i appreciate the tempered advice and encouragement from the veterans on this board.

and don't worry tony, i get (at least i'm assuming i do) your analogy on preparation. i think i've mentioned this on two other threads already today, but i've already had a lesson in flexlibility after having to delay my trip a little over 2 months b/c my visa just wasn't arriving when i thought it would. i had planned a nice little vacation time hopping around spanish cities and trekking the camino de santiago. it was all intended as not just spanish-style fun but as a time for reflection, a opportunity to withdraw and regroup before taking the toro by the cuernos.

it probably would've been mostly spanish-style fun. plans changing so unexpectedly has given me plenty to reflect on over here. planning for this move has been in the works for about 2 years now and though i've prepared for much in the practical realm, i'm now probably more mentally prepared to face down the toro waiting for me on the barajas tarmac.

that's just my lastest little lesson in preparedness and flexibility, and i'm not even there yet! so if i've understood you correctly, tony, i should have now learned something to help me make the experience more fluid and to expect the unexpected as it presents itself.

as for my fellow migrant teachers, i'd love to have a meet-up over some cañas-or dobles!  

and JohnnyPing, you're going to **** in august and lookign for places thru loquo.madrid too? if you were arriving on aug. 2 i'd think we were twins or something! for you and everyone else, try QDQ.com . it not only finds any given address on a map, but shows you the building as well! helpful in looking for your potentially new piso or language academy.

ok i've been on this site all morning, time to get up and out of the house!

Saludos a tod@os,
Eric

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[Spain212]

yep.  I'm getting nervous too.  Leaving in a week.  ACK!  
Good luck to y'all who are starting your courses, jobs, etc. in September.  Maybe we'll run into eachother somewhere.  

Buena suerte a todos!!!!    

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[El Manco]

don't you worry. i got here about a week ago. and i am terribly happy.

  viva el barrio de tribunal!

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[RebeccaG]

So, El Manco... you have been here for a week? Tell us how it's going for you! Enquiring minds want to know!

One thing:

try QDQ.com . it not only finds any given address on a map, but shows you the building as well! helpful in looking for your potentially new piso or language academy.

QDQ is good, but I have found their pictures to be outdated. Most of the pictures were taken 2-3 years ago ... however with the amount of construction going on and the constant changes in the neighborhoods, I found several addresses that didn't appear the way they did in QDQ!  :blink:

Good luck with your studies!

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[JohnnyPing]

Hola de Madrid amigos!!

Well I'm here, I'm settled and I have succesfully completed my first week of **** Madrid, and so far I've been fairly impressed. How are all of you doing? Have the majority of you arrived yet?

I got here on July 27 and traveled around the south of Spain with my grandmother and mother for two weeks. Then I got back here, found a place to stay, right near the plaza and pretty cheap considering the location. And I jumped right in. The ambience is everything I thought it'd be and so far I'm really content.

How are all of you doing? We need to plan a date for those of us in MAdrid to get together for cañas y tapas.

Hata Pronto!

John

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[El Manco]

That's quite the coincidence, I too just completed my first week of ****! i have the feeling you're new york john with the backwards visor, aren't you?

but i'm fairly happy with it, considering some of the practice teaching is \"trial by fire.\" either way it's a good group, got a good tutor, and i am most definately learning!

as for madrid, it's been was a true pleasure returning. i felt like i had returned home upon exiting the metro stop and seeing the sky and buildings and sidewalks for the first time in 2 years. i've been damned busy with class and just having found a place, but it is all most definatey worth it. have no fear, all those whom to Madrid are near! ugh, i need more english class.

and after class, i am very availble for cañas y tapas at anyone's earliest convenience.

-Eric

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[JohnnyPing]

Eric-

Haha, you post as though we haven't hung out for the last three days straight!

But I agree, **** is a sort of hit the ground running kinda teaching plan. I really like the fact that on thursdays and friday they force us to teach for an hour either a begginer, intermediate or advanced class. I think thats a big plus, though as I found out on friday, begginers can be in advanced classes and then your lesson plan can be pretty much used only as  :ny2005:


 
 

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[El Manco]

don't drink the sour milk

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[JohnnyPing]

Thanks compadre

For those of you who are interested, I had a little food poisoning issue last night due in large part to milk that was only slightly spoiled

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[zorrasabia]

Sorry, but my previous message vanished, to reappear on this thread!   :angry:

Hiya Zorrasabia... From an admin point of view, are you reporting a problem with the board software. I didn't quite understand what you meant by this line. I can promise you that nobody on the admin team moved your post as I've just checked the logs.

Anyway, no biggie but let us know if there's a problem so we can look into it.

Tony.

 

Hi Tony,
I hope I've got this 'quote' process sorted out, or what I'm writing won't make sense! In which case - apologies!
 

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[zorrasabia]

Sorry, again, Tony!

The problem seems to occur when I'm part way through typing a message, here  - suddenly, the whole text disappears, at speed, only to turn up on the thread, part - finished! I feel as though just breathing on the type is enough to cause this to happen! LOL  
As I don't know why it does, I always type very slowly, indeed, in the hope that  my message will hang around long enough for me to finish writing it, before it whizzes off, inexplicably! (as has just happened with my previous reply - see above, please!).

I think I'm just lacking the appropriate 'computer savvy' gene - so, no, I didn't think you'd moved my last message anywhere - I knew it was down to me, somehow - again!! :angry:

Thanks a lot,
Zorrasabia.
 

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[zorrasabia]

Hi JohnnyPing and El Manco,

Thanks for sharing details of your first week in Madrid and on the **** course with us. It's great to hear you're both feeling very positive about it all, so far!

Only three more weeks to go, now, so get back to those EFL textbooks, both of you!! :book:
 But, just remember - it'll be the really tough times which 'll give you the most laughs, when you look back on your teaching practices, many years from now LOL!

Looking forward to hearing more from each of you, when you've got time, after classes.  

I do think it was very mean, though, JohnnyPing, for your tutor to place a beginner student into your advanced group! As if the course weren't tough enough!  :lol:

Zorrasabia.



 

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[El Manco]

there's something about being over here that makes me check this site less...

or maybe it's the something about the TEFL course, but here i am, just having mailed in my last lesson plans and happy that evil 3rd week is over.

yeah, zorras, it's definately the crazy stuff that give you the laughs. my second class-ever-was about the flipside of john's expereince: i had a beginner's class on telling time all planned out, to be done in front of my tutor, and they gave me two advanced students. I knew they were advanced right away because one had been in my advanced class the day before. I checked they knew how to count to 12, which they did, then imagined throwing all my handouts off the desk, sat down, and asked the two if they had anything in specific they wanted to go over. they said, \"everything.\"

then my tutor suggested reviewing conditionals, which i hadn't studied (at this point) in english since um, i dont know, 6th grade?

in the end, i ended up doing an interview for another assignment with them, and those nice people even treated me to cervezas y tapas. and of course we had a big laugh about my telling time lesson.

also, my tutor said i had guts. i suppose so.

so there's the latest from my adventures in tefl...  

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[tonytorero]

there's something about being over here that makes me check this site less...

¡Jo, Manquito colega! Don't say that!! I can accept that comment only if you say it in the context that, being in Spain, makes you want to spend less time on the computer because you're out there day after day enjoying 'HER' beauty... But...don't leave the Café!   Now that you're here, we need your help spreading the good news more than ever. There are still lots of other folks wanting to come over who could really benefit from hearing about your experiences.

In the words of a tired, old Bud Light advertising plea... We love you, man!      B)

Just messing with you buddy. Make sure you keep telling us about your experiences!    :cafe:

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[dragonboyo]

Enjoy your practice while it lasts  

I had similar experiences on the course I took, but once I started teaching for real ...... well at least you get paid for it.

Once you get teaching you'll find that quite a few times that great lesson you planned, as was stated earlier, becomes  :ny2005:

A couple of examples: I planned this great 2 part class for a group of 4 intermediates I teach. Lesson one, only 2 of them showed up. We did the class, I set the homework for the role play I'd set up and --- you guessed it --- the other 2 showed up for the next class  :blink:

My first day in another class. I was told I'd be teaching a group of 3 intermediates. Not quite -- the reality check came in -- 2 intermediates and a beginner. The dreaded mixed ability so now I have to go in with 2 plans. One for the 2 ints. and 1 for the beginner. Then you start juggling like crazy with the time.

BUT, at least I'm getting paid for it now  :lol:

Teaching practice is weird but real life can be worse. Anyone else out there agree that the ability to do on the spot improvisation is a key element for teaching?? I propose all English teachers get a T.shirt that has \"The best laid plans of mice and men\" on it.

Al

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[tonytorero]

Anyone else out there agree that the ability to do on the spot improvisation is a key element for teaching??

Hiya Al... Welcome to the café! B)

I could not agree with you more. The ability to exercise and, in some cases, uncover your hidden dynamic tendencies is essential to, not only making it, but enjoying teaching in the ESL classroom. If you can't feel a rush from those situations where you have to practice 'organized improvisation', (It really isn't as oxymoronic as it sounds in this context! :lol: ) ESL teaching may not be for you.

Personally, I've always enjoyed the fact that each of my students are their own Pandora's box. It makes teaching them fun for me. Good feedback! We look forward to more of the same from you!  

 

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[killmon]

This may sound crazy but it is what I do when I get nervious and it works for me.  The way I see it I get nervious when for many reasons; It won't go the way I want, I won't learn what I want, It won't be how I want it to be, etc...

Basiclly it will be bad, meaning some other way or thing than I want.

which means if I am nervious..I am making  it up bad in my head, Because usually I am worring about something that has not happened yet.

Now, If i am making it up Bad... That means I can make it up good as well and am just chosing not to..(I still have not figured out why we as humans do this...when I do... Nobel Prize).

So, what I do is make it up the worst I can and come to terms with it. Like so,

I give up my job house and Jag and move to berlin/spain with my girlfriend. she diecides she doesn't love me with out my job house and jag and kicks me to the curb while at the same time steealing all my money and clothes so..

Now, I'm stuck, naked, standing in a foriegn country, with no moneyand its 40C outside.... What do ya do?

The bottom line is that even if that happend, I would only be stuck, naked standing in a foriegn country, naked with no money and its 40C outside.
  I would walk to the neaest house ask for or steal a towel and go from there.
   If I can be all right with being stuck, naked standing in a foriegn country, naked with no money and its 40C outside I can handel just about anything.


Good luck to ya and remember... if your gonna make it up make it up good!!!

Please forgive my spelling and grammer..lol

 

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[Mikahl]

RELAX! There may not be riches, lovers, and prestige in another country. Maybe it's just life in another country. Maybe it's not too terribly different from your home (except for having a 1500 year old cathedral in the middle of town.) Does it have to be a success? Do you have to write home and tell everyone how awesome your life is? Maybe the fact that you are seeing something different is enough. It may be a struggle. That is life. By deffinition life is struggle. Enjoy it. This is your only shot at it. I have always had money and the only time I was happy was when it didn't matter.

chill!
Michael  

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[spanishsueños]

Mikahl, your post was right on the money!

Everybody should remember that as they embark on their own personal adventures!

 

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[lizziee]

Killmon - so true. Life is half-empty or half-full depending on how we look at it. Thanks for reminding us

   

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