And so I lost some sleep…
Yep, but I ran this morning. I am trying very hard to keep up with this writing, but it is very difficult. Hopefully, real internet and communications are coming soon.
Meanwhile, with new experiences come challenges. I have a first, I’ve been asked to not teach a class. I shouldn’t lose sleep over it, but I did. I won’t mention names, I don’t want to slag anyone publicly. But basically, even though in my company, I have more knowledge in a given field communications and media, than anyone else. I have the knowledge this one client absolutely needs to succeed in the English speaking world. But they don’t want to learn from me. Because I told them to buy a stylebook maybe? Because I told them the rules change all the time in English? And they do. Because I told them the rules usually don’t apply in English, which is 100% true! Particularly in media.
One thing that stands out is last class they claimed I said something I know I didn’t. They claim at the end they showed me an email that said “from…a date…since…a date” and I said that would be acceptable. No way in Hell that’s acceptable and no way I would say it’s acceptable. Which means either they’re remembering wrong, or their intentionally lying about it. Whatever the case may be, I’m not going to let it bother me. I’m in a new field, in a new country, around new people. I have no family, no regular communication to my family, no personal transport, and haven’t even had my first paycheck yet. None of that excuses me if I did a bad job, but I haven’t even done a bad job, I just haven’t lived up to the expectations they have of someone teaching a language they have demonstrated they know nothing about. But clearly, they’re the experts on what an English class should be. I want you all to think about that. I have experience in the field of their industry, vast experience. I know people who do what they do, only infinitely more successfully. I have not only tried to teach them the language exactly as they need to know it, I have offered to get the people who are at the top of their profession to help them out! Why you would reject that is beyond me. Because I’m telling you that there are no set rules on most prepositions? That you have to listen to native speakers in your area to learn things like that. So I hope they read this and learn “I before e, except after c, or when pronounced as an a, as in neighbor and weigh.” of course except for all the times it isn’t, like with either, and the hundreds of other words where the “rule” simply doesn’t apply.
Just for fun, on the weekend (every textbook in this country tells them to say at the weekend) I’m just going to relax.
Have fun, keep running and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!
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