Once Again, Here I am

I'm back from the English Language Programme's Submarine and now it's time to look for work. Sigh. The only thing worse than not having a job is looking for one. But I had a lot of good times for these last five weeks and there were a lot of good times. There were also a lot of bad times and there were some people who were just assholes. But mostly good. Most of the clients were really eager to learn and some had learned a lot before we were out. There were a few clients who stood out:

David: a Spanish guy who seemed a little socially awkward but was really talkative and eager to learn. He also made this weird sound when he paused in a sentence, which I assumed was a habit that came with learning to speak English, but now I just think it's a sound he always makes when he's talking and then needs a second to think about what to say.

Yvonne: He wasn't in my class but this guy is hard to miss. You know movies where there is a huge overly-friendly Russian guy with no sense of volume control. Turn him French and you have Yvonne. He was a very likeable person but it's always scary to ask him something. For example, I was in charge of tea lounge that night and Yvonne's music was loud and could be heard from his room down the hall. A fellow facilitator went down the hall to ask him to turn in down and I soon heard a loud, friendly voice "YOU DON'T LIKE MY MUSIC?" It wasn't yelling. Just a very loud question. I'd hate him to be my enemy, as even his gregarious voice frightens me and makes me want to cry.

Annie: No funny stories or anything, but I'm just proud of her since she had the hardest time learning English.

Rejean, Lucien, Patricio and Fernand: Very nice fellows. Once again, no amusing stories, but they were incredibly likeable and made teaching worthwhile.

I really enjoyed teaching these people and they made it really worthwhile. A lot of fun was had, people dressed as the opposite sex and I got a polyester Superman cape.

The people dressed as the opposite sex thing (Mr. & Mrs. ELP) was kind of creepier than intended, not because of the clothes thing (but yuck none the less) but when each couple comes out the get to do a dance and most of the dances where salacious and... gropey.

And despite the hardships and awkward moments, I would gladly do this again, though I have no idea what the future may hold. But for now I would like to get some good steady work and have time for my friends. And hopefully move out before I turn twenty five in April.

Still, it feels weird now that I have no current obligations to the ELP. While there is a sense of freedom, there is also a sense of fear for the future. Time to look for work.