Two words for the price of one...

Today I'd like to talk about something that can be really annoying for me as an English teacher and as a student of Slovak.

When you get two words for the price of one.

Or when you get two or more meanings from a single word.

My current pair of words to worry about in Slovak are pre and za. These two little gems are fairly common even in the low level language that I use and they get me a lot because they translate into the same word in English...FOR.

Let's take some example Slovak phrases with their English equivalents.

• WC pre mužov            - WC for men
• Ďakujem za info          - Thank you for the info.

It drives me crazy because when it comes to these words, I'm really stuck as to which one I should use. I do my best but it's not unusual for me to run into the wrong one and end up butchering a sentence. Thankfully my listeners tend to be kind enough to smile and nod indulgently as I mess up their language. Some of them are even good enough to correct me and tell me what I should be using and when.

This isn't exclusive to me and Slovak though. As a teacher you should be aware of the words in English that cause problems for your students because they double up on what their mother language has. There are some words that almost directly translate from one language to another and when you find them....great :-) Then again, there are others that will cause repeated problems in your classroom and it's your job to find those words, identify them and figure out what the problem is for the learners. That will help you identify them ahead of time what might be problems in future lessons.

Now you don't have to do this alone. In fact, if you can avoid that, all the better. Another example that comes to mind for Slovaks learning English is the word nervous. 

As I understand it, the translation of nervous into Slovak can lead to two English word meanings tied up in one - nervous....and stressed.

Stressed!

Nervous.

Knowing that these are problem words for my students and knowing that I've got a phone call lesson planned means that I can anticipate the problem words. There will be times when discussing workload where my students might say nervous and mean stressed. Then again, I need to be aware that they might actually mean nervous when they say nervous. I mean, who likes to go on conference calls in a language that they are learning? It's hard enough to understand when you're a native speaker dealing with the weak microphones and speakers that every conference call system seems to suffer from (especially when it's my turn to use it), but when you have someone who is still picking up English then it's a real hurdle. 

So by giving them the confidence that they are choosing the right word will let their English flow more fluently, hopefully reduce their stress and nervousness, and leave them more comfortable in what they have to do. I know it takes time to break down the old habits or first language interference but step by step you get there and make things better for your students. If you don't want to do that, then you probably shouldn't be teaching ;-)

What's the best way to get rid of these kinds of problems and trouble words then?

What I'm learning more and more as I teach (and learn) is that it's not so useful to memorise a big list of rules about when to use each word and when to avoid it. I've done that kind of thing when teaching articles, which many Slovaks struggle to use, and it's not that helpful because the students struggle to remember all of the rules as they are talking and using English.

Instead, I try to give as many examples as I can of how the word can be used. Simple sentences, even those with similar meanings and different subjects/objects, are a good start. Give the students time to practise, put them in situations to draw out those problems words and be fairly ruthless with corrections (though always with good humour and a smile) until they start to get it locked in.



Now all I need to do is find a Slovak teacher with the time to do this to me so I can finally figure out which word I am looking za/pre when it comes to Slovak. I mean, if I can't do that then what are these lessons za/pre that I'm paying za/pre ;-)

Take care,

Pete

LGBT rights: The line between what's right to me and what's right professionally...

"Since many of you will get to participate in the decision in a few weeks whether or not to allow me the privilege to get married, I'll just leave this here. Needless to say, if you're reading this, I sincerely hope you believe I'm worthy of the same rights and privileges as the rest of the country, if for no other reason than the 14th Amendment."


My American friend wrote these words on Facebook yesterday (October 15th 2012) and they struck a serious chord with me. I've long been a supported of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (hereafter LGBT) rights but by and large it has been in a passive role. In debates or conversations I've stood up for the LGBT side but have only been active in limited ways. 

That's something I want to change now. Both my friend's words and the recent news my girlfriend read in the paper that the Slovak State doesn't allow LGBT couples to inherit or have civil union rights really frustrated me. I've done a little more digging and while same sex relationships are legal and accepted by a majority (68% according to Wikipedia. I've not located the original study yet) the support for marriage and adoption rights is much lower.

In many ways Slovakia is a conservative nation and the religious background tends to be Catholic (~65% in a 2011 study). I have no intentions of disparaging that faith but it's no secret that it tends not to support LGBT couples or LGBT rights (a common theme in some religions). This is a long way from saying that Catholics hate LGBT people but there does seem to be an undercurrent of distrust or possible dislike at what a few of my students have described as 'unnatural'.

My problem at the moment is that I need to find the line between what I think is right (morally, ethically and humanistically) and what is professionally appropriate. As an English teacher I am encouraged to engage my students and provide conversation/discussion that pushes them. The problem arises in that when this kind of issue is discussed I am not just an observer/teacher. I want to step in, break down the opposing arguments through their weak points (from my perspective of course), educate and convince them that my position is a better one.

But it's not fair to do that.

I'm not debating with my peers. I'm a native speaker of English with a strong education and a relatively extensive discussion and debating background. While many of my students are as (or more!) educated than me and have comparable experience, it's still unbalanced. None of them can match me in the English language which, on a side note, ensures that I retain a job ;-), but it can allow me to sound more comfortable, eloquent and convincing. Are my points necessarily more valid because I can express them better?

No, that would be crossing the line.

Of course, I still stand by my points as being better and more worthwhile but that is because of their content, not because of how well I can deliver them.

Ultimately what I'm searching for is a way to make a difference in the minds of people who've not really considered this social and cultural issue fully. I don't expect to convert a significant population overnight but I would like to generate dialogue, thought and start to change opinions. Even if I influence just a few people to think about the other side of the debate I can hope that that will spread as they start to talk with family and friends about their new perspectives. Social change comes in small steps after all.

What I need to be careful with is crossing the line professionally. My job brings me into contact with a great many people and gives me the chance to talk/discuss things with them. It does not give me carte blanche to start preaching or forcing people to agree with me because I'm the teacher and can argue in English better than they can. I have classroom power to a degree, but it's not my place to use that to support an agenda beyond that of educating students. 

I still bring this issue up from time to time with my higher level students but I do my best to stay out of the debate as much as possible and just interject points in the manner of "what some people say is...", which seems to keep things less heated as I can be the neutral moderator. If students then ask me what I think, I put in my personal opinion but keep it out of the debate. If someone wants to talk to me afterwards then that's fine but the lesson time isn't taken up with my views.

I'm not trying to make people change everything about themselves either. If you don't like or agree with something then there's nothing wrong with that, but controlling the legal system to prevent others from doing that thing does not strike me as right. In this case, the argument is about trying to stop people in love from choosing to share their lives together and make a public commitment to each other. 

In the pictures above I see three couples who are happy and in love. To me, marriage is a wonderful thing that shows love and willingness to make a commitment. The more happy couples there are in the world providing stable families for children, the better off we will be.

Getting rich - a.k.a How much money does an EFL teacher make?

Hi everyone,

So to follow up with my end of year reflections list it's time to talk about something that makes the world go around and keeps us all occupied (perhaps too much).

I'm talking, of course, about money. How much money does an EFL teacher make?

This is an actual, genuine, in no way faked, perfectly normal

 monthly pay packet for an EFL teacher. I make this much money every month ;-)

Now in the interests of privacy for my colleagues and the school I work for, I'll not be discussing exact details of contracts and hourly rates etc. This is more a post to let people know roughly how much money you can expect to make as an EFL teacher, at least here in Slovakia.

Basically I make between 700 and 900 Euros per month after tax when teaching. It's hard to give an exact figure because I have two contracts, one fixed and one which pays me for each lesson I teach more than the fixed amount. Because of this, my exact income is variable, though almost always falls into the numbers outlined above.

Many other EFL teachers I know work on a kind of business license where they are essentially freelancers who can work for many different companies. Generally they get a higher hourly rate and so come out with a bit more outright cash. On the other hand, because they are not guaranteed any work by companies they can face less certainty in what they do. In addition they don't tend to get other benefits offered and must pay for their own health insurance etc.

So how much will I make as an EFL teacher in Bratislava? Well, about what I outlined above as long as you have a good school and are flexible. I like to teach business English and one to one students at high level, but I also teach adult and children's groups in our school, as well as some lessons at primary schools that Class works with. I sometimes start early in the morning and sometimes work late into the evening....it comes with the job.

The more flexible, skilled and versatile you can be as a teacher, the more work you will get. The more work you get, the more you will earn as an ESL teacher. The more limited you make yourself to a school (no kids/only high level/not too much travelling etc. etc.) the harder they might find it to give you enough lessons.

Of course, from a personal development standpoint, teaching different levels is great too, but let's keep it focused on the moolah for now ;-)

One question that I recall from the last day of my CELTA training course in England was during a final meeting with the director of the school. We were all proud of having completed the course, what we'd learned, what we needed to work on and so on, and he took an hour or so to give us some advice on the more practical side of finding a job, what he looks for in teachers and answered our questions. The question that hit me was:

"Where can I go to make a lot of money as an EFL teacher?"

To the director's credit he answered it effectively, pointing out that Saudi Arabia tends to pay well (though life can be quite restricted there, for women in particularl), South Korea has a good reputation for paying well and so do other Asian countries. The response I was secretly hoping for though, was something like.

"Where can I go to make a lot of money as an EFL teacher?"
"To the admissions section of the medical/law/finance school up the road."

It's no secret that teachers don't make a huge amount of money, EFL teachers included. That said, you get to meet interesting people, do a job that makes a real difference to individuals, get challenged and have good opportunities for travel.

As far as my experiences living in Slovakia go, I think I do alright for my money. My current annual salary is approximately 50% that of what I was earning at my job in the US as a radio station sales coordinator where, while the colleagues were great, the work was often dull, repetitive, didn't challenge me and I was quite poorly paid.

So how is it living with half as much money? Well if we compare the costs, it starts to look really good. I have a bus pass from my school so I can travel for work, largely eliminating transport costs, certainly commuting ones, I get food vouchers every month as part of the government program for employees in Slovakia and my rent is much much lower ($200 a month including all bills and internet sound good?).

I am not a heavy drinker and I have few expensive hobbies (wargaming aside) so I can happily report that in the last year I have managed to save about 50% of my annual salary, which is a really good feeling.

I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination but I'm happy with what I do, I'm interested to go to work and I am building savings much more consistently than I have done in the past. It must be that getting old and responsible thing people keep telling me about ;-)

So that's all from me on this point. If you have any questions about being an EFL teacher or how much money you can make doing this, then please get in touch via the comments section or email.

Best wishes,

Pete :-)

EFL teachers....LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE!

So...teachers...go and learn another language. If you are teaching English to students, you WILL learn more about it, about how they feel and about better ways to teach from learning a foreign language.

I'm learning Slovak at the moment.

The first reason for that is, of course, that I'm living in Slovakia. While a great many people here in the capital Bratislava do speak some English, it would be rudeness of the highest order for me to expect them to do so here. The English do hold a certain reputation for politeness and since I'm not in England, I'm in Slovakia, it is only polite for me to learn the language, if only to get by and exchange the necessary words for living here. Knowing some Slovak makes it fairly easy for me to get around the city, go to the shops, order food, have some conversations with those who don't speak English and more.

That said, it makes me do this a little bit at times.

The Slovak language is renowned as being very hard to learn. There is some contention as to what the most difficult language to learn is but most of the Slovaks that I meet tell me firmly that theirs is language number one for challenge (much as the Hungarians say about Hungarian ;-) ). I can attest to its difficulty and the frustration that I have with how much things change when you start conjugating and making sentences. Still, it's made me understand how my students feel when you start to realise what is missing (or added) from the language compared to English.

I used to hate the ending of Slovak words with a passion. In English, we have Bratislava. It's Bratislava whether I want it, have it, need it, like it, am on it, live in it, am going to it etc. etc. Not so in Slovak.


To je BratislavA                - It is Bratislava
Byvam v BratislavE           - I live in Bratislava
Idem do BratislavY            - I go to Bratislava
Mam rad BratislavU           - I like Bratislava
Vrtul'nik nad BratislavOU   - A helicopter over Bratislava

How's that for a change from English? When I started getting into this and frequently making mistakes in conversation it drove me up the wall. I remember raging and complaining about how annoying it is to deal with, how silly it is to have this in the language and how much better it would be without.........until it hit me that this is EXACTLY how Slovak's tend to feel about the perfect tenses. They don't exist in a tense form in Slovak, the students often struggle to use them and they are quite resistant at first because to them, it has the same illogicality as the endings did for me. It was such a revelation for me and I was surprised at how quickly my annoyance and frustration evaporated.

Then my attitude towards learning Slovak was more like this...

Other reasons that learning a language is a great thing, particularly when you primarily teach one nationality of student:

• Sometimes it's easier to just translate a word, especially when you're tired. My school doesn't like us doing this but hey, if it helps the student (or teacher) then who needs to know ;-)
• You understand why people make certain mistakes. Slovaks tend to use the preposition 'on' a lot more than we do in English, so it's good to be able to catch that and understand why they're doing it.
• You get to feel where the differences are and how they can impact on the learning. I couldn't understand why Slovaks so frequently said 'How is it called?' 'How does it look like?' until I learned and translated their frequent greetings 'Ake je tvoje meno/Ako sa volaš?' as basically the same as the English 'What is your name/What are you called?' with how in the place of what. It's a Slovak thing :-)
• You can share frustration and amusing stories with students so you get a better bond with them. When I have students confusing two similar sounding words e.g. thought, though, and they get frustrated I always point out how many times I've asked people around for yesterday (včera) instead of dinner (večere) when I speak Slovak. It's really helped my students and I get along better, which makes my life a whole lot easier when I'm teaching. You really do benefit from people skills in this line of work.
• If nothing else, you put yourself back in the shoes of a student and understand more fully what your students go through when you're teaching them.

Well that's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this little insight into why I'm learning another language and why all teachers should do it if they can.

Take care and feel free to drop a question in the comments section if you have one.

Pete

Reflections after a year of teaching.

So here I am after a year of being an EFL teacher.

My apologies for the lengthy delay between posting. I could make all sorts of excuses about being very busy, having lots of lessons, travelling around, focusing my writing energy on a sci-fi competition and generally being tired, but it wouldn't really be that interesting, though it is true ;-)

I feel like I've run through a full year's worth of EFL teaching now since we just got back from the school's summer camp. I started here in Slovakia with the summer camp last year, jumping in a bit at the deep end, got my training from the school, taught lessons all year long for business, kids and adults, got a few private students and traded some of them for better private students, planned some great lessons and some crappy ones, winged it when I forgot to prepare and got away with it, winged it and had the lesson flop, dealt with great students, uncreative students, tired teenagers, noisy kids, grammar monsters and found where I work well in teaching and where I'm not so good. The year finished with a trip back to the same summer camp as before (Camp Wonderland for those who are interested).

This rather charming picture is me one year prior to the beach party disco at camp. The facial hair has largely been ditched (except when I'm feeling too lazy to shave), my muscles have also taken a bit of break since I'm not a regularly training martial artist any more and there might be a hint more of a tan now as the summer here was pretty warm and bright. When it comes to teaching though, there have been huge steps, learning points and more that came from just getting a lot of hours in the classroom. 

Here is a tired but happy me a year later at the same camp, on the same stage and near enough in the same spot. As before, there is a funky costume going on but that's the way of summer camp. What's really changed is the confidence and experience of the teacher, something that I hope, and think, is reflected in what my students gain from each lesson I teach now.

So, in a nutshell, what have I learned from one year of teaching. I intend to expand on these points in future posts.

• You get to meet a lot of really interesting people. You owe it to them to be genuinely interested in who they are and what they do. It can bring remarkable dividends too ;-)
• Lesson preparation is key, though not in the way that I expected when I started. Micromanagement generally comes unstuck, but without a framework a lesson can be very hit and miss. 
• Go and learn another language, seriously. You will learn a lot about how students think, feel and will come up against the stupidly illogical (to your mind) things that others feel about English. 
• Sharing and working with your colleagues will make your job a LOT easier. Build that team up and all of your lessons will benefit from it. 
• EFL textbooks can be fantastic to work from and will save your butt when you're short of ideas, but should be expanded upon to cover certain areas more or less. 
• You'll learn a lot about the English language.
• It makes it really easy to travel when you're an EFL teacher and a native speaker can be in quite heavy demand. As a side note of travelling, you'll see more of the city in a year than many people who live there do in five years.
• Teaching English is not going to make you rich, though you can save a surprising amount depending on where you live, but you'll have a really fun and interesting job.
• You will get tired as a teacher, you'll often end up working funny hours, starting early, finishing late, having dinner at 9.30pm or snarfing sandwiches on the tram.
• You'll realise that despite the annoyances, if you really enjoy teaching and languages, you will be doing a job that keeps you interested, challenged and excited. 

All the best to everyone and look out for more thoughts on the above coming soon.

Pete

When a song encapsulates a time in your life.

Hi everyone, I was listening to some music recently when I came across a song that I like, but that really resonated with me. As I listened, it seemed like the song was telling the story of my life as I came to the end of my life in America.Have you ever had something like this where you really feel as though the song is telling your life as you listen?

The song in question is called Chances and it's by an Australian folk artist called Xavier Rudd. I highly recommend that you have a listen to his work if you have time.

Sometimes this video is finicky on Blogger so you can enjoy it on Youtube here:-)

The lyrics that I thought I heard (which I later found to be slightly different) were:

At times in life,

You'll connect with someone's soul,

And have to move on.

At times in you'll feel

The need to fly and fly

Though you may hurt someone

You were there

Your chances were clear

Choices were made in spite

Of times that were spent

Feelings were mixed

Amongst your support base

A heart was lost

But a heart found its place

This is a recipe of life

Made up of five months of people's peace

And people's vibes

Well now it's each now to their own

Well your heart will know.

I had been going through a lot of different things at the beginning of 2011 when I was gearing up to leave America. One major point that struck me with respect to this song is that I almost entered into a relationship with someone. We felt a strong connection with each other at the time but it didn't become anything. In hindsight was very much the better result for both of us, but she instilled in me the spark for travelling again.

I made the choice to leave America and come to Europe to live in a country I'd never been to before. I made that choice despite my friends in America being mixed about whether they wanted me to go.I'd spent something around five months living a non-married life after separating from my ex-wife. I felt like it was a new phase of life for me, but also something of a holding pattern. I was enjoying things but I wasn't moving forwards towards anything that I really wanted. I took a chance and took myself away from the familiar, into the unknown and it felt right, despite the fear. I know that I 'hurt' some friends with the sadness of parting and I felt the same too. In fact I recently found a notebook containing a worried note written as I sat in Washington Dulles waiting for my flight. I remember sitting there, wondering why I was doing it, why I was leaving what I'd become familiar with, what was going to come, whether I would find what I needed and if my heart would find something or someone that could make me truly happy.

A heart was lost....that heart then found its place.

It's often said that home is where the heart is.

I'm home again.


Thank you for reading my little tale. I hope that you enjoyed the song and perhaps I've made you remember a time that a song represented a moment or time in your life. Music is great :-)

Pete 

Homestead farm or just a home farm?

It's been a long weekend here in Slovakia because of a public holiday tomorrow. Since many people took today off as well to get four days it gives us teachers a break. Not the best for the bank account perhaps but nice to have a chance to relax.

I spent the weekend in southern Slovakia in the village of Muzla. It was really great to have some proper summer weather of 25-30C (which has continued in Bratislava too). We went to a memorial on Friday (my first Catholic ceremony I think) and then spent time with the family having mixed conversations in Slovak, Hungarian and English, all the while enjoying copious homemade wine and the energetic attention/attacks of the little kids. We spent most of Saturday afternoon outside with hammers and fingertips cracking walnuts, hazelnuts and some almonds All of them were collected from the garden trees or from the treesaround the village. We are also loaded down with other fruits and vegetables from the garden that we can take back to Bratislava and enjoy.

Yours truly about to get down to work on the walnuts.

Hurry up with the walnuts, there are lots of hazelnuts that need to be shelled as well

Fresh garden vegetables ready to come back to Bratislava with us.

Frozen berries from last year destined to be part of refreshing smoothies.

Nuts and mint.

To me it marks a stark contrast to another 'close to nature' experience that I had while I was living in America. I used to live in Maryland and went with people I knew at the time to a great place - Homestead farm, Md. It is a great day out for the family and you can buy or pick great fresh produce through most seasons. I enjoyed going there and by no means do I mean to belittle it in this post.

Here I am looking youthful in America.

What struck me is just how far many of us in the UK and US (to pick the countries I have lived in for a longer time) are from the source of our food. My girlfriend's family were surprised that such a commonplace activity for them is considered a day out by many in the area of Homestead farm, Md. To them, gardening, harvesting, peeling, drying, preserving and pickling are just normal parts of life and to make them a day out sounds as strange as having a day out at Starbucks might seem to those in a big city. 

Now before it seems that this is some idyllic praise of the village life, I must point out that a lot of the people down here farm and grow because they must. Unemployment is fairly low in Bratislava but outside the city there are a lot of people with limited income. Just as an example, where I can charge 20 Euros for an hour of teaching in Bratislava, here you could expect about 5 Euros max. Compare that to Bethesda, Md where I lived for a while and still recall my ex pointing out a lady wearing about ten carats of diamonds in her wedding and engagement rings. There is no doubt that in such an affluent neighbourhood people can take things like Homestead Farm, Md as a fun diversion or day out. 

I can't say, however, that I felt entirely at home in that area with some of the people who lived there. Those I knew personally were very welcoming and ordinary people, albeit often at the top of their respective professions and earning power, but from observing some of the gargantuan houses that are quite prevalent there I felt out of place. Perhaps it was a symptom of the simpler life feelings I have (An example here)but I feel much more at home now. I would support this as one of the reasons why living in Slovakia is like a welcome trip to the past and makes you feel more in touch with the natural world. For more reading, have a peek at this wonderful article which asks: 'Is Slovakia stuck in the 1950s? 13 examples of how it is.' 

The garden starting to bloom. I can't wait to enjoy the results in the future.

I'll leave it here by urging those of you in the US to visit places like Homestead Farm, Md or other such places. It's a great day out that you can enjoy with families and friends. For those of you who live with greater access to the natural surroundings, take advantage of them and enjoy the outdoors.

Best wishes,

Pete

A simple and versatile First Conditional lesson plan for teachers.

Need a quick lesson plan about the first conditional? You're in luck because that's what you get today.

I'm part of a teacher's group on Facebook and somebody linked to a blog post: Writing Your Own Materials - Plusses and Pitfalls.. Now, my school does not use textbooks for anything past our lowest level courses, so we have a lot of lesson material to go through and to come up with as well.

Since I know that other teachers out there may be in the same boat, here is the start of a lesson plan that you can take and run with in many different settings. It just requires knowledge of the first conditional from your students and needs very little planning time from the teacher.

The entire lesson is simple and I taught it several times with about four lines of plan. Here it is, somewhat expanded due to explanation:

Quickly remind students about basic first conditional construction (If + present simple, future with will). I then put up the concept of a promise conditional with a good result and a threat/warning conditional with a bad result.

Then you tell them that there is an empty piece of land somewhere in the local area. For Bratislava I used Petrzalka, the big district on the south side of the Danube. You are the mayor and they must persuade you that their building choice is the best by promising good things if you build their option, and threatening with the negatives of the other options. Give them a couple of examples and they will soon get the idea.

For buildings I chose: A library, a bar/nightclub, a football stadium, a park, a casino and a swimming pool.


I've taught this to low pre-intermediate students, a higher pre-int one to one and some advanced teenage students. At first the students come up with very simple things but it soon develops.

- If we build a library, children will get smarter but if we build a nightclub it will be noisy for people living nearby.
- If we build the stadium, we will make money from the games but if we build the casino the mafia will come into the city (their idea, not mine)

I introduced some vocabulary (littering, vandalism, create jobs etc.) and prompted them a little when they were struggling for ideas but otherwise it was all their creativity.

For the lower level students we talked a little bit about what they had come up with and left it there, but for the more advanced students I had them create reasons in teams and then debate/defend their position compared to the other side. They really enjoyed it and came up with some great concepts. It got a bit heated at times since they are teenagers but it was a good time for all.




So in conclusion if you want a four line first conditional lesson plan:
- Review threats and promises using first conditional.
- There is a new building site, give students the options of what to build.
- They must make their choice look better by promising good things that will result.
- They make the other choices look worse by threatening about bad things that will result.

*** - Higher level students should then debate/discuss the results.


I hope this lesson plan helps other teachers who need something to let students creatively use first conditional.

Best regards,

Pete

Advice on public transport in Bratislava.

I wrote about this subject a while back when I first got to Bratislava and started living here. Since that time I've experienced the transport system a lot more and I have some advice about public transport in Bratislava for those who are moving here or those who are just visiting.

I've been in Slovakia for just shy of nine months now and picked up a lot more experience with the public transport system. Hopefully this post will help people get around in the city while you're here.

Let's quickly review the three options for transport within the city:


The buses are much like those you'll find in other cities and they serve many many locations. If you go to Petrzalka, which the area on the south side of the Dunaj/Danube, you'll need to go on a bus of some sort as there are no electric lines running there as of yet. I most frequently ride the number 50 bus to Aupark (a big shopping/business centre) and the number 70 bus. These are both popular routes and you have to be ready for crowded buses in the peak commuting hours. You'll find a mix of bus ages here with some of them (like the articulated bus above) being extremely modern and sporting comfy seats, nicer decor and even TV. Others are a bit older with some lovely seat patterns that look like they're from my childhood, but they are still a comfy form of public transport.


The trams can get really busy too, perhaps because they have the advantage of not getting bogged down in traffic. The tram lines run through a good amount of the city and they coincide with the bus and trolley stops quite well so you can hop from one to another quite easily. The older trams have hard plastic seats that make it uncomfortable to turn around and chat with a friend behind you but the newer ones are nice. I usually stand on the trams though as they have less sitting and more standing room than the buses. I like having this option of non-road based public transport as it gives good flexibility.


I frequently use the trolley buses to get around as they run right past our apartment heading downtown. You need to be careful when on the trolley bus as they are electrically powered. That means that they can accelerate very quickly and without any telltale rumbling noise from the engine. I've nearly slipped over a couple of times when I've not paid attention while waiting at a red light. To be honest, I think the drivers enjoy being able to quickly head off when the lights change. It keeps you on your toes at least. One downside of the trolley buses is that the electric connector poles can slip off the overhead wires from time to time. This will add a couple of minutes to your journey as the driver must don a reflective jacket, go around to the back of the bus and fiddle with the cables there until it's all reconnected. Not a big deal for the tourist but it can be annoying if you're on a tight schedule for work. I studied Environmental Sciences in university and so I really like the electrification of the public transportation in Bratislava. I've seen it in a few other European cities and it's probably the best way to electrify transport.



Autobusova Stanica, the main bus station is a real hub for getting around. Many buses and trolleys stop here, lots of people get on and get off, and you can also catch coaches to other cities from inside. If you need to get to the old city from my area (Ruzinov, a few km east) you can get off at the Autobusova Stanica and walk downtown in about ten minutes. The main buses that I see people taking or catching here are:
- the number 50 to Aupark (a big shopping centre).
- the number 70 to Novy Most (the new bridge, close to the old town)
- trolley number 208. Get off a Kollaro Namieste and you're at one end of Obchodna, a big shopping street.
- trolley number 202. This terminates at Rajska (sounds like rye-ska) and you're then on the eastern edge of the downtown area.

For those of you who plan to stay longer in Bratislava, you can walk upstairs in the Autobusova Stanica, go through the doors ahead of you, then turn left and go through the doors there. You'll find a small office not two metres past the door where you can buy a ticket that you can keep and just top up, much like the Oyster card in London. If your Slovak is not so good, here's a simple phrase to get a three month ticket "Prosim si trojmesačný lístok." Because my job involves travelling to different companies to teach so I get the three month card and then I don't have to worry about not having a ticket or not being able to find a machine.


Now if you don't have a long term pass, these are the machines that you need. It's really important to have a ticket before you get on the bus because there's no buying them on board. Unlike the buses I used to catch in England, the driver is there just to drive the bus. It's your responsibility to have a ticket that is accurately punched and appropriate for the ride. For reference, there are two tickets that I normally recommend for visitors.

- 15 minute ticket. It costs 70 Eurocents. Be very aware of how long your bus journey takes when you use this ticket. You don't want to be caught out by an inspector taking a 16 minute journey and have to pay a fine.
- 60 minute ticket. It costs 90 Eurocents and I always keep a couple as backup in case I lose my card or someone needs a ticket at a stop that doesn't have a machine. I consider it my good deed for the day when it happens.

As a backup, you can also get an SMS ticket if you have a phone that works over here. The instructions can be found on this page. I haven't done this yet and it's a bit pricier but it's a good option to have in case you're out of tickets and need to get on the bus.


Whichever ticket you get, be sure to punch it in one of these machines on the bus/trolley/tram. You just slot the ticket in, it beeps and your ticket is marked. Make a note of the time it was punched if your journey will get you close to the expiration time of the ticket.


WARNING TIME.

A piece of advice. The public transport in Bratislava (mostly) runs on time because you don't have to wait for the driver to sell a ticket to each person. They stop, let people off, let people on and then get on with the driving. This means you can get on the bus without a ticket no problem. Nobody will stop you.

Then again the inspectors may get on the bus with the other passengers and then you have a problem.

Inspectors work in groups and arrange it so that they are among the last to get on the bus. There will be one of them at each door of the bus and they tend to look a bit like bouncers in a nightclub. They don't wear uniforms so you won't know they are there (unless you know a few of them by sight as I do now). About thirty seconds after the bus has left, once everybody has punched their tickets, the inspectors feed in a special ticket that locks out the machines. If your ticket is not marked, you will not be able to mark it. They check printed tickets and also have scanners to check electronic tickets so make sure you have a valid ticket. If you don't have a ticket you'll be fined (50 Euros I think) and they will keep you on the bus if need be. I've seen people miss their stops because they didn't have the cash on them. I presume they go back to the station or perhaps the police come but I don't know for sure.

In my experience you're more likely to be inspected on the more crowded routes. I've been checked about ten times on the number 50 bus but only a couple of times on the trams, perhaps because I ride the latter less frequently. In bad weather I've noticed that the inspectors are more active. I guess people get on the public transport to avoid the rain.

In any case, the advice for public transport in Bratislava is to have a valid ticket with you when getting on board.



The last piece of advice I'll impart for now is to check out the route of the public transport that you're using and make a mental note of which stop you need, and the approximate travel time. Here's an example from the number 50 bus stop at Aupark. In this direction I get off at Autobusova Stanica so I have an eight minute ride. Most of the buses have automated announcing systems that tell you which stop you are at as you arrive and then tell you the name of the upcoming one when you leave. Some of them don't have this.Keep a mental note of the number of stops you've passed compared to how many you need. Usually the stops aren't very far apart but missing the stop where your connection is can be very annoying.

Here's a point of Slovak language that confused me for a while. The word for bus stop is Zastavka. The announcer kept reading this out amongst and it really threw me because I thought it was the name of a particular stop that wasn't on the scheduled route. It was a bit worrying.


To sum up

Getting around Bratislava on public transport is really easy and convenient for the most part. You can mix and match your methods to get to almost any part of the city in very little time. Everything usually runs on time, even in rush hour, the transport options are comfortable and you'll save yourself time vs walking and money vs taking taxis. Key points:

1 - Have a ticket that's valid
2 - Check the stops ahead of time. Know where you're getting off as best you can.
3 - Don't mess with the ticket inspectors. It's not worth it.


For anyone who has read these pieces of advice for using the public transport here in Bratislava and has further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch and ask in the comments section below. I will do my utmost to help out with any information or answers that I can.

Very best wishes,

Pete


Your key website for checking the actual buses and so on within the city will be this one.You can type in a bus number or stop name in the search button in the top right.

The touch of spring.

I love the moment when you step outside after a long winter and feel the first warmth of spring. There's something in the air...a smell perhaps or just an essence but it's nice. We've come out of the cold of winter and the piles of snow and it's warm here! At the moment it's sitting pretty at 21 degrees C and the sun is shining.

We're in the countryside in my girlfriend's home village and it's easier to see the change of seasons here. The fields and gardens that were covered with ten centimetres or more of snow are now clear. There's no ice left, the first shoots and snowdrops are arriving, and everything is ready to start growing again.

It's easier to see the cycle of life when you're in the countryside. All around the village I can see people starting to get the soil ready for planting. The apple trees in Edina's mothers garden are starting to bud, some neighbours have cobs of corn in big trays outside to dry in the sun and the green is returning to the plants bordering the fields. I'm excited to spend a lot more time outside.



Next time we come down here to the southern part of Slovakia we'll be in the garden working hard. I'm looking forward to it as a nice break from and variety compared to the mostly mental challenge of teaching English.

The garden needs work

Spring is here and has put a smile on my face. I hope you are all enjoying the changing seasons.

Yours truly enjoying the sun and the fields.

Letting go of the past

Sometimes it's hard to let go, especially of people.

It's a problem for me particularly. I didn't think I was the kind of person who had the need to maintain contact with friends, but apparently I am. I put energy and effort into keeping in touch with people, particularly those who are abroad and I know that I won't see any time soon. It is reciprocated far less often than I'd like and that upsets me. Perhaps it is some stereotypical English politeness but that people often omit even the courtesy of a modest reply annoys me greatly. I think that an element of it is that I have great respect for those with the courage to simply state that they won't keep in touch. To me it shows a level of regard for the other party beyond that of those who will let a friendship wither away slowly. I am not the kind to do either very often as I'd prefer to put that energy in to maintain what was there and was good before.

In a way I think it's a continuation of what I had as a child. My parents tell me that I used to be a child who was terribly resistant to change. When a toy seemed to be out of favour it had to be moved to the upper shelves, then to the hall shelves, then to the spare room and finally to the attic over the course of weeks or months. If I noticed or protested about this change, the offending toy had to be quickly returned with the assurance that I had simply misplaced it. I grew out of this over time with many things and I think I've largely stopped it with respect to things in my life. In fact my life has become quite minimalist with respect to things and I like that. For anyone interested in culling some of the excess items from your life, I have to suggest moving to a new country on an airline with minimal baggage allowance. You quickly find out what you actually need ;-)

Then again it seems like I'm not so good at letting go of friendships as they change over time. It bothers and upsets me that people let this happen, though I shouldn't be suprised any more. As distance becomes a factor in our lives then things change and only the strongest relationships remain close. It's not something that can be changed and so I've taken this experience as a chance to move onto new things and change this negative aspect in myself. I can't keep holding on to what once was there and expect that it will still be so. Those people who are important to me have stayed in my life and will continue to do so. Those who are not important will fade to occasional contacts and that will be fine too.



I found some nice quotes about letting go.

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. — Dr. Seuss
Doctor Seuss is as observant and succinctly effective as ever. I will keep the happy memories and the good times that have happened.

Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings. — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
This one rings with truth through and through. I've been to many places and through different stages of life. One thing that has always been constant is the positive results of change in my life from new beginnings. I've been to new countries, tried new things, faced fears, made mistakes, learned a lot, lost love and gained a love that is far better for me.

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change. Life’s too short to be anything… but happy. - Anonymous
I laugh a lot, I've screwed up a few times and apologised, and now I'm learning to let go of the things and people that I can't change.

I'll end on a positive note urging you to make the most of the relationships that are important to you and keeping ties strong among family and close friends. Life is about the wonderful moments you share with others and being happy.

Take care and enjoy life,

Pete :-)

I'm a bad consumer. I don't want new things...

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about something a fair bit recently and it struck me fully last night after a discussion with my girlfriend, Edina.

I'm a bad consumer.

By that I don't mean that I'm necessarily unethical or somebody who buys in an irresponsible way. It's quite the opposite in fact; I don't generally buy a lot of things and I don't generally want a lot of things.


Here's the item I discussed with Edina that got me to realise what I am. It's a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E-325 and is a pretty neat laptop with good features (13.3" screen, AMD Fusion processor, great keyboard etc.). I work at Lenovo teaching English and a friend there let me know about a deal that is coming up which would give me a good saving on this laptop.

Initially I was jumping at the idea as I have been thinking about getting a replacement for my old Dell laptop for a couple of months now. It slipped off the coffee table a few months ago and the wifi card stopped working, a factor which accompanies missing keys, green lines on the screen and no battery.

The deal showed up and I nearly jumped at the chance but then I thought about it. A question hit me. Why do I need a new laptop? I'd been thinking for so long that once my old laptop kicked the bucket I'd get a get new one and that was that but when I asked myself why, there weren't so many good answers.

Now I will point out that I make a lot of use of the internet for work and communication with family, but I can generally use my school's PCs or Edina's laptop at home. What would a new, shiny laptop bring me except perhaps some slightly snappier performance or the ability to play some newer games? The latter tempted me for a bit, before I realised how little time I have these days to indulge in video games. Why then should I spend money on something that I really don't need, but only want?



Phones are another thing that struck me as I considered my disinterest in much of modern consumer society. I'm a geek when it comes to new technology with respect to interest in it, but I simply can't justify any kind of need for me to spend on any kind of fancy phone. Edina recently bought the little Samsung phone above for the princely sum of 9.90 Euros. It's nothing fancy but it does the job. My phone (a Nokia something or other) was comparatively pricey at 25 Euros but again, it does what I need.

Now compared to something like the recently released Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the phones we are both rocking are dinosaurs. I love the look and idea of the Nexus but as I thought more about it, I wondered what I would really do with such a phone. Okay, texting and calling are nothing new so this phone would give me access to the internet, email, a camera and the numerous applications.

Perhaps it's a symptom of the relatively simple life that I live as an EFL teacher, but I just don't see what this will bring into my life. I don't get a huge number of emails to deal with daily, facebook doesn't run my life, I have a camera that handles the relatively few pictures I choose to take and I don't have any real need for GPS or map applications.

I should interject here to say that I'm not against buying things per se and that I don't think people who buy such tools or other trappings of modern life are bad. It's more that I find the advertising and desire for so many things that set other people's excitement buttons going don't do it for me. In a similar way I don't want to buy many clothes or have a fancy car. I'm a much more practical and simple person in many aspects of my life, though not all of course.

Instead I decided to save the few hundred Euros/pounds that a new laptop would set me back and use them to help repay my student loan. It's about time I got on with that and it will be good to remove its looming presence. When the time comes that I want to apply for a mortgage and look at investing in property, the last thing I need is to have problems because of an existing loan.


I guess my final thought would be that I feel like people should really consider why they want various things in their life and whether it is something that is really necessary for the way you live. Far be it from me to tell you what to do or not to do but make sure you spend your money and time on things that really matter to you.

Pete

A weekend of Hungarian Slovak hospitality.

Following on from my last post about meeting really nice people, I feel like sharing a few words about my weekend in southern Slovakia with my girlfriend's family.

On Saturday we spend the day with her mother in the morning, catching up, chatting in Hungarian (or trying to, in my case), and eating home-cooked food. The latter was a recurring theme from the weekend, much to my delight.

Later on we went to her aunt's house as they wanted to be introduced to me finally. We've been meaning to spend time with the family for a while but time always runs short when we visit or schedules do not work out. I met Edina's aunt, uncle, cousin, the cousin's boyfriend and another cousin's daughter. I was welcomed with open arms by all of them except for the daughter, who is an adorable but shy four year old.

While there I was treated to many home-made culinary delights including red wine punch, red wine, Chardonnay (her uncle owns a vinyard I think), wild deer goulash and pancakes served with apricot jam from the summer harvest. I said (in Hungarian) that I wasn't very hungry and was then informed that this was not an acceptable sentence in the household :-)

We talked for hours about life, me, them, why I came to Slovakia (a favourite question), Hungarians living in Slovkia and more. We've been invited back when we're next at home and also invited to Budapest, where we'll get a tour of all the sights courtesy of Edina's cousin.

This image is not mine but it's a nice one. I took it from Danielle Harms' blog, which you can find here.

One nice thing was that I was complimented on my very limited Hungarian and apparently I don't have a noticeable accent when speaking the phrases I know. I got another lesson in Slovak and Hungarian on the train ride home so here's hoping that I can continue to speak well in these two complex languages. I have a funny love and hate relationship with each of them as they will alternate with making sense and confusing me. Sometimes I want to scream at Slovak as it seems so complex where Hungarian is so logical, but then you change the language point and the roles are reversed. Good times :-D

Afterwards we went to another cousin's house to meet his family and also talk about teaching. He and his wife are teachers and he's been asked to teach some English so we spent a happy few hours swapping ideas and telling stories of what we get up to at work.

Well, I should be clear and say that's what Edina, her cousin and his wife did. I was, by popular child's vote, elected to babysit and play with the two kids: a boisterous three year old boy and the previously mentioned shy four year old girl who had, by now, dropped any pretence of being shy or quiet. It was great fun playing games with them and trying to communicate in my limited Slovak and Hungarian. The highlight was the girl rolling her eyes at me and trying to simplify her instructions even more when telling me that it was my time to count and search for them in Hide & Seek.

In return I was fed with some bread & butter with toppings, paprika paste (from Hungary of course), home-made blueberry jam, a type of roasted bacon and more drink, this time high quality cognac and home-distilled Slivovice. The latter caught me off guard as it's much stronger than the stuff you usually buy in shops. All good news though.

To round off a wonderful day we walked home through a lightly snow-dusted village with a spectacular starry sky above us. I felt very happy and in love.




This is a personalised and touching example of what I've experienced from people since coming to Slovakia, and indeed throughout my world travels. Everyone must find their own way to go through life but I highly reccomend that you take a chance on life at least once and experience a new country with an open heart and mind.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you find :-)

The people you meet...

The below was written on Thursday January 12th but I didn't have time to finish and post it until now :-)

I'm feeling quite bright at happy today. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and I'm relaxing in a classroom on the eighth floor that has a view over the city and to the hills of Austria. The golden spire of St Martin's cathedral is shining, Bratislava castle is capping the hill it stands upon with its bright, white walls and the forest in the distance on Kamzik is beckoning me. How I do love the sun in January.



It's times like these that I'm compelled to reflect upon the perks and joys of my new profession. While EFL teaching isn't likely to leave you rolling in money by any stretch of the imagination, the experiences of new places and people that you get are quite wonderful. I write this having recently finished testing and speaking to a new student. She was interesting, friendly and spoke good English. As part of her exam, she quizzed me on my opinions about the Eurozone, British culture, British food and then we discussed different experiences in life.

The range of people that I teach and have regular contact with is quite extensive and surprises me at times. From the top of my head I can think of the following jobs my students have: a petroleum company manager, an architect, the head of some radio and TV stations, technical IT specialists, fibre-optic cable designers, students, a bank employee, a teacher specialising in Autism and special needs children, and many more.

Inevitably, when talking to one another we use our own lives as source material for discussion. I've been exposed to so many different stories and backgrounds. Of particular interest to me are the tales from people who lived a portion, or a lot, of their lives under the Communist regime. These stories, and those of the transition out of Communism in 1989, are a fascinating glimpse into what was such an abstract piece of history to me. Several of my students were at university during those years and they speak fondly of it in a number of ways, though they admit that the country is better off now. I get challenged daily by different viewpoints and cultural backgrounds. I bring out discussion questions for my higher-level students and they often force me to defend my own position that comes from a different background and life experience.

It makes me very glad to have taken the step forward in life and to find something that really works for me. I love seeing new countries, experiencing new cultures and meeting people whose life stories enrich my knowledge of the world.

There is the story of this teacher and just a few of the people I get to meet.

All the best,

Pete

The most common mistake English people make...but is it a mistake?

Hi everyone and Happy 2012.

I'm feeling nicely refreshed after a Christmas and New Year trip home to England. It was great to see family, enjoy the mild English winter and generally relax with plenty of food and drink. There's three great things about being home and taking a guest with you: showing off the beauty of your home area, introducing them to your friends and family, and being reminded of all of the great things about where you live by somebody who sees them with fresh eyes.

While there, though, I did notice a mistake that I hear with reasonable frequency from those who have English as their mother tongue. I've heard it from my parents, friends, colleagues and almost everyone who speaks English. I even find myself doing it from time to time, though I try not to now that I'm aware of it. I made the mistake in question deliberately in the paragraph before this one. Can you find it?
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
The answer is: There's three things...

Now people say this, or variants of it, quite frequently in conversation. I noticed it numerous times during my holiday in England but I've also heard it from people in all walks of life (up to and including the US President).

It's a funny one because I don't know of anyone who would use the non-contracted form, there is, with a plural, but once we shorten it to there's it is common and fairly natural for people to use it with singular objects or plurals.

I challenge you to listen carefully to English speakers and I suspect that you'll come across this error with reasonable frequency.


It does however bring up the question of what constitutes a mistake in a language. English is evolving as, I imagine, are most other spoken languages and therein lies the defence to this mistake I've picked up on.

If most people use it in their day to day conversations in English, then should it be considered a mistake any more? We've discarded and altered many aspects of English that were common just a century ago. I suggest you go out and read some classic literature to find examples of sentences and phrasings that would be extremely unusual to hear in normal conversation these days.

So what are your thoughts on this mistake and whether it should in fact be considered a mistake at all?


? - There's too many factors in any language to form distinct rules about what's correct.

? - There're too few people paying attention to what they're saying and so everyone should focus more on the language they use.