Whew...

I am exhausted! I just got into work and am finally able to relax! This is a really laid back office. Here are some random thoughts from the last several days:

The EF office is going to be a really fun place to work. The staff are all young people around my age. There are teachers from England, China, South Africa, and the United States. It is a very diverse group. I will spend the next few days observing classes and will start teaching on Wednesday of next week after I undergo the mandatory tranining Boot Camp.

The lessons are already planned for me. All I have to do is find the appropriate file on my office computer, personalize it to my teaching style, print the appropriate handouts and head off to the classroom. I observed one class last night and the teacher, who was from England, taught a very entertaining lesson on Phrasal Verbs. I did not know it was possible to make a lesson like that fun. Maybe I can post some video of the classes if they will let me.

The teacher intoduced me to the class and told the students I had culture shock. On the way back home lastnight on the bus, one of the students who was in that class approached me and asked what culture shock was. I think she thought I had some sort of exotic American disease.

Never, Never, Never get a Bank of America credit card. I came up short on cash when paying my landlord and after two hours on the phone with Bank of America, found out I could not get a pin to access cash. The agent assured me it was only for my protection that they would not release my pin. A quick call to Discover card had me a pin in minutes after answering a few questions to verify my identity.

I went to the ATM this morning to access cash and was successful until the machine kept my card out of security. I had to show my passport to get it back, but I hope to not have to use my credit card at an ATM again. Thank God this bank had ONE English speaking teller who was able to assist me.

See ya when I see ya, Peace!