So this week has been peppered with Parent-Teacher meetings for my various classes. Two things remain consistent between them... One, the students, and parents like me as a teacher, which is good. And two, the parent's of the most obnoxious students rarely show up to the meetings. I assume that this is the result of one of two things; either the parents are too busy working to attend the meetings, or the parents know about their child's behavior and don't care. This means I don't have to stress over sugar-coating my opinion of their child's bad behavior, but it also means that the parents do nothing to discipline the students who act out. But out of all my classes, I really only have a handful of troublesome students. Most of them are pleasant and endearing. Other than the occasional PTM and progress report update, teaching English classes has fallen into a pretty dry and predictable routine. The work is simple, but it's rewarding to see the progress made by the students.
Lee and I went to a birthday dinner for one of the other foreign teachers the other night at an Indian restaurant in the same building as the Haka bar. I've been wanting try to find some good Indian food since I arrived here, and I wasn't disappointed. We each ordered separate dishes and shared among the table so we could sample a wide range of food. The chicken korma was very good, as was the tika masala, and the garlic naan. After the meal we split up and went in smaller groups to some of the nearby bars. Some of the teachers wanted to catch the football game at the English pub, but I prefer the Haka bar and it's lounge environment.
In other news, I used some of the money from my bonus to purchase myself a bicycle to make travel in the areas around my apartment more convenient. It's a pretty decent bike too; single gear, city tires, and fenders for wet weather. And it cost me less than $100 so it was very affordable for a bike of this quality. I also bought a lock for it and a portable air pump in case my tires run low.
Lee and I went to a birthday dinner for one of the other foreign teachers the other night at an Indian restaurant in the same building as the Haka bar. I've been wanting try to find some good Indian food since I arrived here, and I wasn't disappointed. We each ordered separate dishes and shared among the table so we could sample a wide range of food. The chicken korma was very good, as was the tika masala, and the garlic naan. After the meal we split up and went in smaller groups to some of the nearby bars. Some of the teachers wanted to catch the football game at the English pub, but I prefer the Haka bar and it's lounge environment.
In other news, I used some of the money from my bonus to purchase myself a bicycle to make travel in the areas around my apartment more convenient. It's a pretty decent bike too; single gear, city tires, and fenders for wet weather. And it cost me less than $100 so it was very affordable for a bike of this quality. I also bought a lock for it and a portable air pump in case my tires run low.
I'm not above carrying it up the stairs and leaving it locked on the balcony of my apartment, especially after Rodrigo's e-bike was stolen a few weeks back.
I don't know how long it would take to ride the bike to school, but I don't think I want to risk my life dodging traffic over that distance, even if the exercise would do me good.
I don't know how long it would take to ride the bike to school, but I don't think I want to risk my life dodging traffic over that distance, even if the exercise would do me good.