Just finished my assignment 1, stealing some time to blog a little. I experimented with using the Overhead Projector (OHP) for my lesson last Thursday. Too much drilling about “chesting” led me to forgetting to use the overhead transparency that I prepared (to give instructions) and had some students fill up the wrong column on their worksheet. Poor time management and complacency led me to being less than prepared for lesson 2. Made the mistake of not enough ICQs and CCQs, again. Thankfully, I managed to get another “to Standard”. Personally, I felt that I did not improve much though my tutor and classmates said otherwise. It’s very important to hear their feedback, positive or negative, and I’m very grateful to Aaron for his constructive comments about my lesson. I was very surprised when he mentioned “holding things for comfort” and noticed I was holding my whiteboard markers throughout the lesson!

CELTA Dress Code
It is fine to dress smart casual on non teaching days. We have eight teaching days so that’s the amount of formal wear you need to bring (suits and ties not required for guys). I was surprised to find out that ladies are not supposed to expose their shoulders in Thai culture, so keep your sleeveless tops at home or for the weekends. Bring a jacket too because the classrooms can get really cold at times.

Clubbing in BKK
My Singaporean friend, Alan, dropped by with his customer and I managed to grab a couple of drinks with them on Saturday. We went bar hopping and clubbing till late and here’s a tip: carry your passport with you. Some places do not welcome Thais and they may check your identity if you are or look Asian like me (they may mistake you for a Thai). After much persuasion, we managed to get “exceptional approval” to enter Zaleng (a club in Bangkok) even though we were in shorts and slippers. A bottle of Johnnie Walker red label goes for only 900baht! It’s weird but they serve popcorn for 60baht to go along with your drinks. They usually serve peanuts in Singapore.

Update: After chatting with my classmate, Greg, I found out that they serve popcorn in some parts of the States too!