My Life after CELTA

Another eventfully eventless week came to an end today. It was brimming with deliberation, contemplation, and a myriad of unexpected tasks. I weighed the pros and cons of being a reliable and knowledgeable English teacher. I’m still not satisfied with my overall knowledge of the English language because I’m fully aware of my mistakes. It is rather irritating that I’m still prone to producing silly errors while writing, speaking and taking various tests. Aside from extending my vocabulary, I must re-learn specific grammatical topics, as well as familiarise myself with the natural language, before I can confidently take on more students and fully embark on this fantastic English teaching journey. I might come across as an overly meticulous and anxious individual striving for perfection, but I’m not. I want to provide my best for my students, and I don’t want them to face a confused old geezer who, for example, doesn’t know the difference between avenge and revenge. I must double my effor...

As the weather took a turn for the better, the mild temperatures brought about changes in nature we typically associate with April. So, the early morning symphony of birds and the sweet scent of flowers in the air, as cliché as it might sound, became just ordinary. This idyllic scene was enhanced by the late-night concert of amphibians in the nearby pond as they emerged from their winter hideouts and began their mating serenades. Now, while it might just be my own erroneous assumption, it's possible that their over-enthusiastic croaking is more about frustration at being woken up so unexpectedly early by nature. If that's indeed the case, I can't really blame them. If I were a toad whose internal clock was out of sync, I would probably react the same way. I would perch on a large leaf wearing an expression of disbelief and resentment on my irritated face and let out painfully loud croaks like those of a steam engine. I never knew I could empathise with frogs!

Since the beginning of February, spring has inexorably knocked on our doors. The early seasonal change dramatically affected the landscape. What would usually appear barren and lifeless around this time of the year now resembles a fully awakened late spring scenery with lush greens and colourful foliage. Trees awaken from their slumber and are budding and blooming, filling the air with opulent redolence. Walking the streets is like wading through thick, transparent clouds of flowery fragrances in a luxurious perfumery - a symphony of scents for the nose. The lengthening daylight, accompanied by the warm embrace of the sun works its magic, elevate the soul and warm us up, banishing the remnants of dismal winter greyness.

Sometimes, having respite can be beneficial. Although I had promised myself to write every day, stepping away from the keyboard was exactly what I needed. My life has reached a stage where I have encountered formidable and challenging topics. We must not only take stock of our past but also look to the future, which, in our case, is nothing but merely facing our impending demise.  Seeing the path that leads to the end station doesn't make me dismal, even though the topic is sombre. Instead, I'm struck by the contrast with the planning I have been used to in my life. Twenty years ago, the notion of passing and slowly entering the realm of ageing was not part of the equation. Today, it has become par for the course, though. Despite all that said, I'm not depressed. I merely state the obvious, which could have upset me two decades ago but not today. The intriguingly friendly thought of preparing for the inevitable passing is oddly comforting. Reconciling with this notion was l...

The 10th week of the year revealed many conundrums. We came to realise that our initial assumptions about our sleeping issues can be solely attributed to the long-term effects of COVID-19. These post-infection impacts fundamentally affected our unusually erratic sleeping patterns and routines. One day, we slept like logs, whereas the next night turned into a waking ordeal. If our sleepless nights hadn’t been enough tribulation, the weather ensured an additional detrimental factor. Navigating the days seemed challenging due to the early spring imposed fatigue and weariness, often resulting in us nodding off every ten minutes. Even the discernibly longer bright hours couldn’t boost our mood, however the morning walks with Abby, the dog, on the bright streets were quite noteworthy. Similarly, my warped perception of passing time was also worth mentioning the other day. I attempted to defend my conclusion by purporting the significance of the distorting nature of the passing of time. Howev...

The long-awaited weekend is finally here, although the entire week seemed like an unrealistic movie in Fast Forward. I wish I could have a word with the projectionist. Hardly had a scene begun when the performers of another chapter hastily aligned in front of us, waiting for their cue to start the act - like unhinged ants in a hive trying to fend off an intruder. Recalling these instances made me realise how our minds can trick us. Although the days might seem stupefyingly slow as we live them, we see the opposite when we look back on them. The days roll by like someone flipping over the pages of a calendar at the speed of light. I wish to slow down time, even to stop and rewind it a bit. I was pondering what can cause such a distorted perception of the passing time. I’m fully aware that there isn’t a speed biker pedalling frantically on the bicycle of time propelling us into the next days. However, as my life is getting to a certain age, the whole game changes when people realise how ...

Little did I know how the day would unfold when I woke up this morning. However, I was as pleased as punch when I realised I hadn’t woken up once during the night. It was about time, though. The last two weeks, seasoned with restless nights, took their toll. My system was close to exhaustion. I wasn’t thinking straight, and even the easiest chores seemed like hard labour. Nevertheless, my energy was at rock bottom, barely reaching my soles. Anyway, let’s navigate back to today. Since I made the first essential step towards complete recuperation - sleeping like a log uninterrupted - I had high hopes for the rest of the day. My mind was full of beautiful ideas and plans, and my brain became a racing track for thoughts galloping like an impetuous foal. I really was full of beans even though the unequivocal signs of brain fog were written all over my face - a grotesque still-life on a bio canvas. When I finally accommodated myself with my dreary reflection in the mirror - as I’ve been doin...

The importance of returning to the basics struck me with the force of a sledgehammer this morning. Today, for once, I didn’t count the sheep in the small hours but slept through the night. And when the alarm went off at 5:30 am - because I had to take Ági’s car to the garage - my mind crafted sentences including the not-so-elegant and sophisticated expressions one would use while entertaining themselves with the creme de la creme. Mind you, it all depends on the members of the assembled company, though. Anyway, as I made my way to the car, climbing the concrete stairs of a hillock, I couldn’t help but notice how much it resembled my English learning journey. As every eleventh step was followed by a little pause - there were four of them - I immediately associated them with my English stages - A0, B1, B2, and C1 at the top. Reaching the summit meant, in this context, completing the CELTA course, a still unbelievable yet significant achievement in my life. After finishing my chore, I was...

Despite my optimism of getting back to normal and sleeping uninterrupted like a log, I woke up at 1:00 a.m. I found my eyes wide open but this wasn’t the weirdest part of it. My mind wasn’t miffed at it; that was uncanny. I merely noticed the fact that my brain switched into drive mode and coerced me into leaving the warmth of my comfy bed without any second thoughts of returning to the realm of reveries. What is going on beneath my skull? I went to the living room, sat down in front of the TV, and watched videos about prompt engineering and power point editing. Is this really what a sane person does at night? Needless to say, my day went accordingly. I was merely a shadow of my former self all day. After several unsuccessful attempts of dozing off, I gave in and accepted my fate. I crafted a lesson plan to my beginner student, but that was the pinnacle of the day. I wish I could sleep through the night without getting out of bed in the small hours.

After such a long period of dismal weeks and masses of restless nights, my weekend turned into a slow but epic bout between sanity and insanity. This monumental contest in my mind, seasoned with the early spring’s side effects, siphoned off the reserves of my batteries completely. Being physiologically depleted had a detrimental impact on my psyche, and my mind shouted silently for more sleep and respite. An effortless order to abide by and the only reasonable alternative. Having no other choice but to obey, I abandoned myself to active repose. My weary mind needed to slumber through the weekend and binge-watch episodes of our current favourite series. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything else anyway, though. After several failed attempts to jot down my thoughts, I gave up writing entirely. I remember sitting in front of my laptop, hoping to craft a meaningful entry, but frightened by the confusion that oozed out of my virtual pen, I closed the lid and called it a day. As my eyelid...

When I woke up yesterday, I found myself grappling with the remnants of a chaotic dream. Meanwhile, the sun gradually lit the sky, and the confused birds stumbled through their morning melodies in the mildly tropical February. This unusually warm weather put a damper on our plans. My walks with Abby were lacklustre, mirroring our collective lethargy as we ambled along at a snail’s pace. It’s not normal to experience +18°C on the last day of February in the Northern Hemisphere. The remainder of the day unfolded in a similar vein. Hardly had I finished my lesson plans when I realised it was already eight o’clock in the evening, so I buckled down to write my blog entry, but I couldn’t put my ducks in a row. After several failed attempts, I dropped the keyboard and laid back. And today wasn’t different either. Even though this loss of energy wasn’t palpable during my lessons, I was happy after saying goodbye to my students. Our performance today in our private sphere was similar to a weary...