Let me first introduce them....
Teacher trainers:
Dominic
Nationality: British
Age: late 40's?
Our fearless leader.
Helen
Nationality: British
Age: early 40's
This woman can hang!
Gui
Nationality: Australian
Age: early 40's?
A superhero in disguise.
Teacher trainees:
Annakiska
Nationality: American
Age: mid 50's
Good home training.
Kate
Nationality: Irish
Age: 23
My little Irish rose and an honorary North American.
Michael
Nationality: American
Age: mid 30's
Too smooth to be Harry Potter; has a very odd concept of 'squares', though.
Sandra
Nationality: American
Age: late 20's
No feedback on Friday, please!
Brad
Nationality: Australian
Age: early 40's
The best Aussie accent ever and half of the Bradley-Chadley Bridge.
Connie
Nationality: American
Age: 51
me
Tom
Nationality: British
Age: 23
Cute as a bug's ear. I love his 'lovely'!
Chad
Nationality: American
Age: 37
My best buddy and the other half of the Bradley-Chadley Bridge.
Peter
Nationality: British
Age: 58
"Ooohh, Nooo!"
Dan
Nationality: American
Age: 24
'Should have' stayed out of the smoking room.
Annika
Nationality: Swedish
Age: early 20's
NOT from Stockholm!
Charlie
Nationality: British
Age: 22
My kid
Daniel
Nationality: British
Age: 24
A tender heart but still....
f%@&o#f
These are the people I just spent the last month with. I lived with a couple of them, ate with all of them, and partied with most of them. We studied together, laughed our asses off together, ridiculed each other and cheered each other on. The impact they have had on me is immeasurable. I went to Berlin to better myself professionally. Little did I know how my personal life would be enriched. We all have our own stories; different backgrounds, different cultures, rhotic and non-rhotic accents but we share a common bond. Teacher trainers and trainees alike; we are all vagabonds with a love of travel and a thirst to see the world. So often when I talk about the places I've been I feel like people think I'm trying to impress or brag or something. But here was a group of people who, between them, have seen most of the world. We bonded not just because of our shared experience in the CELTA program but because we are all like-minded people. Nobody batted an eye at the fact that, at 50, I quit my job, sold my house and bought a one-way ticket out of the country. My story was not unusual.
I've talked with a few of my classmates over the last couple of days since I returned to Mannheim. We all seem to be feeling the same sense of loss... that of each other. Not only did we spend the last month together learning how to teach English grammar, how to write detailed lesson plans and how to grade our language to the learner, we became friends. I will remember each of them always and there some who have a permanent place in my life.
I learned how to be a teacher in Berlin but the true treasure of this last month is in the faces of these people...
(left to right)
front row: Peter, Annika, Kate, me, Helen, Annakiska and Dan.
back row: Gui, Tom, Charlie, Dominic, Daniel, Brad, Chad and Michael.
1 comment:
Hey Connie! Well done! Sounds like you're rarin' to go. Best of luck to you.
:)
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