This is WAY too much like hard work....

Hmm. Three lessons a day, the first at 7 thirty, then at 5, then at 7 pm. An hour and half each, not too mention all the planning. Almost makes me think fondly of my days of gazing over Hammersmith broadway from my eyrie at SOS towers. Almost? Sorry, I meant not at all.

The classes are going OK, actually. There are 3 to 5 students in each of my first two, they´re all between about 15 and 21 and have wildly different levels of English. Teaching my last class of the day (7 students, a much wider range in age) was a initially a bit like teaching a class of dead fish although recently they have displayed some signs of life, flopping about on the desk, gasping for air and so forth. I´m quite enjoying it although have found it quite draining...no doubt I will get used to it as time passes. So, my day to day routine basically consists of getting up (VERY early) , first lesson, a large breakfast, a mooch/read/plan, a light lunch, a doze, lessons 2 and 3, supper then bed. Thrilling. This Monday is a bank holiday (6 de Agosto, if you´re interested, La Paz day, I believe) so I have a long weekend ahead. Phew. Wanted to see if I could get to Uyuni to see the salt lakes but I really need 4 days and I can´t take any time off at the moment. Might go to Tihuanaku (wrong spelling), which is some town of archealogical relics and suchlike (I think) instead. We shall see. I´ll probably see more of this strange ziggurat of a city as well. (I have never before appreciated ¨downhill¨ so much in my life).

The road of death and I are avoiding each other at the moment, much like War and Peace and I are avoiding each other. This bloke keeps telling me I should mountain bike down it (one of the big things to do here), but as the last time I rode a bike was about 10 years ago (the Gerrard´s Cross to Fulmer dash, I think) I think I´ll give that a miss. Besides which, I´m a terrible coward. (For those of you concerned with my safety, I´ll probably go down on the minibus during the day, which is safe, apparently. Most of the accidents happen at night with drunk loons charging about).

Had a few Spanish lessons too. My teacher appears to have only one tooth and says ¨MOOOOUUUUY bien¨ every time I open my mouth and keeps telling me how intelligent I am. I expect he says that to all the students. It´s going pretty well but I still think the most effective way of learning is wandering about absorbing the lingo through osmosis and conducting day to day conversations (e.g. ¨cuarenta salteñas por favor.¨ Although I may have to cut down a bit as I am beginning to smell like a salteña.)

So there you are. Have fun etc.,
Love,
Sir. X