I'm certainly back in the swing of things here, and it's great. I've got 16 students who are all very focused on their final exam, so they're very demanding and hungry. It's such fun teaching students in this frame of mind - I get a massive buzz every day, learning as much from them as I'm teaching. I love it.
In order to maintain a modicum of sanity in the class, I've brought the Snickers technique forward from my previous class - any minor misdemeanours are punished by a black mark in my Liber Miscreantis. These can range from turning up late, through talking Arabic, to allowing a mobile phone to ring. Last week I was the worst culprit (for my speaking too much Arabic so I don't feel too bad) so I had to fork out for a catering-size box of chocolate.
There was one moment where there was a danger of complete anarchy breaking out: we were talking about insurance, premiums, types, and so on, and one student told the class that we needed to discuss underwear. I asked him to repeat what he'd just said, so he did: underwear. I asked if he was sure that that was the right word. Yes, he was sure. By this time the class was in serious disarray. It turned out that he was talking about underwriters.
The weather's perfect here at this time of year - crisp mornings, sunny days, and balmy evenings. Just wonderful. I wish it was like this all the time!
The only cloud on the horizon is over the Isle of Man - where I've been salting all my savings from my work. Kaupthing went belly-up the day I flew out of the UK, and there's still no clear picture on what's going to happen. Ex-pats aren't allowed UK bank accounts, so are obliged to save off-shore. But the UK Govenment offers no protection to off-shore savers because these islands aren't part of the UK. However, UK banks can raid their off-shore subsidiaries to prop up their mainland operations - as they have done. Yes, I'm very cross about the situation.
