Work and Play

I interviewed for the Finnish class on Monday. I was inexplicably and irrationally nervous about it, but it was brief and fairly relaxed. We laughed about my pitiful Finnish abilities, and discussed my future plans. I revealed that I have a working husband and a (very) part time job already. I have a feeling that my lack of financial desperation will preclude my participation in this course, but I'm okay with that. I will learn Finnish one way or another, and it might as well be in a more relaxed environment. The only problem is the speed with which I will pick it up if I'm only attending class once or twice a week. I guess I'll have to use class time as a template for studying at home.

But, nothing's certain yet.

Yesterday, I spoke to my new boss regarding the English conversation course I'll be teaching. I'll have a great deal of freedom as far as what we discuss and what kinds of articles or supplementary materials I can use. The main thing I'll need to do is cater to student needs and interests. So far, however, I have no idea what those might be. They're very advanced students, but there will likely be some variation in skill level among them. The trick will be to make them feel comfortable speaking English in the confines of our classroom so that they will become more comfortable speaking it in everyday situations. I've been having a lot of fun coming up with my first lesson plan, which involves a lot of "getting to know you" types of activities that hopefully will spur conversation. I'm really looking forward to it.

On a slightly touristy note, Rami and I went to two particularly cool places today. First, we bought some smoked salmon at the local kauppahalli (literally "market hall"). They have all sorts of vendors in there, selling imported goods, fresh meats, cheeses, and fish, as well as clothing, handbags and the like. We'll definitely be going back.

Then, we went to a place called Antikvariaatti Suma, a veritable nerd paradise. They sell used games, CDs, DVDs, and shelves and shelves full of old books and comics. If I spoke Finnish, I'd probably have spent a year browsing in there. This is another place that we'll have to spend more time exploring.

I love getting to know the city a little better. Someday, it'll properly become my city.