~ Sceopellen ~

With thanks to The Library Princess, I give you:

Facebook Shakespeare.

I fear…

I am, as usual, a disgrace. I apologise.

Much has occurred. For the last weeks, I have been working near flat-out at a Berlitz Language School, as an English teacher. It was amazingly fun, but at the same time, completely exhausting. The only disadvantages of working at this particular school are the rather obsessive business people who want to learn perfect English in one week. It is perfectly possible to improve someone’s spoken English in a week. Fluency, however, requires a little extra. Further, the pay is terrible, but still significantly more money than I would be able to make in a waitressing or till job.

But, all work and no play makes for no holiday! So, WOMAD and Stokes Bay festivals were my “holiday times”, and both were amazing fun. WOMAD was many degrees hotter than expected and somewhat less muddy than it was last time! But to an extent, that actually made it worse – some of the community spirit that makes W so special had gone. Also, many of the “regulars” hadn’t returned after last time’s shambles, so much of the music was more popular. It was entertaining, but certainly not from the depths of the earth. I did, however, come across two amazing artists emerging at the moment: Sa DingDing (China) and Hotel Palindrone (Austria). Do check them out!

Then Stokes Bay, which was also great fun, although rather different. I went with a lovely group of friends and absolutely adored seeing Bellowhead and Show of Hands. Most of their songs have been stuck in my head ever since! I am looking forward to the world music scene in Toronto, although I am certain that I won’t find material to rival any of the above!

About Toronto – I have only just confirmed my accomodation, I haven’t confirmed my courses and have no idea where I will be staying until the university starts. I don’t have a clue how to pick up the university cards, don’t know how the food system works and still don’t have an e-mail address. Oh, and i’m staying with some rather lovely nuns. How incredibly medieval! (Sorry… The academic world will thwack me for that…)

I’m sure I shall be posting more interesting stuff reasonably soon – although my next posts may well be in Toronto! Wish me luck!

For some reason, these have been published the day before. Oooh, what a mix up!

I am rather delightfully happy, although slightly annoyed at myself. Unfortunately, medieval was somewhat of a mess, with 57 and 64. Not to say I didn’t expect that after the mix up with the lecturer’s e-mail, saying that “all” the texts would be covered. Boo hiss. Oh, and the small drop in Shakespeare, which i’m not too annoyed about, but it would have been nice to have kept the 74% from my first essay!

But otherwise, incredibly happy, with 74, 72, 69 and 69. Which means, that despite all odds and several mediocre level essays, I somehow managed to recover both Renaissance and Modern Theory in the exam. I don’t do exams; consequently this is a mini-miracle.

Unbelievably happy with Writings of WW1, after all that hard work – 74!

So, average of a 2.1, but a high one (68). So lots of reassessing options, as getting into a good medieval MA seems to be a rather distant possibility. But at least I expected a bad result on that – just putting a bit of a dampener on everything else.

But regardless, starting my new job tomorrow (eekk!), and going for yet another interview. Then dashing off to London, a last visit to some friends and then finally complete all the fuss and bother of Toronto applications! I’m getting there!

The next interesting use of “medieval” on TV: apparently Labour parliamentary payoffs are equivalent to danegeld. Cough.

Well, besides this, a rather interesting day. Thought i’d go and get a job, as I have not a great deal to do at the moment with my damaged leg and would rather like some coinage for Toronto. So I wander into a local hotel and ask for any part-time work, to no avail. I think, perhaps I shall try the centre of the city, and am given several forms and rather more blank looks. Then, completely by fluke, I saw a small advert for the Berlitz Language Centre, and I thought I’d give it a go. Not for a moment did I think that I would actually have a chance. Interviewed there and then, and within 4 hours I received an e-mail offering me training, good pay and a 2 month contract, with more work next year if I’m good enough. Just a little bit happy!

Average age of teachers: 45. How exactly I got this job is beyond me. But anyway, I have a rather wonderful job, which is going to be very tough, but very fun. It’s pretty much all business or advanced level language teaching, 1-2-1, and very tightly controlled. I am absolutely terrified actually, as it’s mainly successful business-people, sent to England on assignment and needing a reasonably good understanding in 2 weeks. So it’s high pressured. Experience-wise, however, it’s amazing.

Golly, it’s been a while! (Golly is an underused word, which I am attempting to reincarnate, one sentence at a time), and in Time’s typical manner, much has occurred.

Shakespeare’s Globe was fun while it lasted. The Footsbarn Shakespeare Party was less good than I had hoped, but the Shakespeare itself was unmistakably brilliant. Midsummer Night’s Dream is spectacular and certainly ranks in the top 10 shows I have ever seen. The choreographers and costume department have excelled themselves even further than usual – although the critics didn’t like the “lack of subtlety”. It’s Shakespearean comedy, designed for the bawdy masses! Get over yourselves.

Unfortunately, after returning from an afternoon show and sitting down with a friend to watch Eurovision (I know, I know…), I received some rather bad news from home. My elderly Dutch grandmother (Oma), who appeared to be in reasonable shape had been taken into hospital suddenly, and was now in a coma. We were forced to wait until early morning before traveling for various reasons, namely that it was 2am by this point, but every minute began to count. My amazing friend stayed up with me for another 2 hours, and then came to my house early in the morning to see me off. Unfortunately, she made me watch terrible Japanese soaps in an effort to cheer me up. Rather worryingly, it worked. After 11 hours of driving, we ended up lost on the Antwerp ringroad. The phone rang, and we were rather bluntly told by a family member (…) that she had died. So, 30 minutes too late, after all that.

Then the typically Dutch/Catholic rituals took over: the “coffee-table”, viewings of the body, readings… The whole list. Several masses, which we are all expected to attend. A 6 week, 3 month, 6 month and 1 year anniversary mass in the church. I am expected, of course, to fly from Canada for each of these. I don’t think that is going to be able to happen. Then came the dividing of her flat, which was political and nasty. The main problem was actually over an old violin which was given to me, having always admired it as a beautiful instrument from when I was very little. I always wanted her to play it, and she always refused. Now I know its history, or rather the several family myths around it, I can understand the fuss. Quite a ripping yarn, with gypsies, bombs and all…

I personally wasn’t bothered by anything in her flat – I remember Oma for who she was, namely because I mainly saw her in England or on days out around the village – I don’t remember her for her possessions. However, my uncles have a rather different view, and fought over everything. Even stupid things, like a video player, were fought over. Mother and I just kept well clear, and let them get on with it. I think Oma would have been proud. It was so interesting talking to the people she knew – they all remembered how smart she looked, even in the war, how she was a true carreer-woman at a time when they didn’t exist, how she raised her children, studied photography and ran a business at the same time, how she was stubborn as a mule and kept every bit of paper, every voucher, every death-note she ever received. We found boxes of memories, of family trees being whittled down with every card, little pictures of the children and the new house. Even the records of my great-grandmother’s family; a picture each Christmas showing the family growing and shrinking around the tree.

Anyway, when I finally got back to England, I just managed to catch my birthday (little BBQ, then the Summer Ball), and was straight off to Spain. Which turned out to be another political balancing-act. I loved Spain, just the group occasionally struggled, for various reasons (namely personalities) to hold together. Then, 2km from the end of a 30km day, after hiking around 160km in 8 days, my achilles tendon tore in two, completely putting stop to my goal of reaching Santiago. I’ll just return another day! It was even more beautiful and challenging than I remember and I will certainly be back. No question!

Now I am back home, with a surprise two weeks and not much to do. Need to return books in London, get a new passport, visa for Canada and other bits. Looking into jobs and manuscript conservation internships, but they’re all 3 months or more – getting work for 2 weeks as a hobbling beginner doesn’t look promising.

Tomorrow I am submitting my final choices for Toronto, after a massive battle with their incredibly confusing course system. I’m getting more excited by the minute!

1. Later Medieval Art
2. Illuminated Manuscripts
3. Persons, Minds, Bodies
4. Early Medieval Philosophy
5. Culture and Difference
6. Introduction to Conservation
7. Medieval Books
8. The Medieval Mind: Expression and Forms of Culture
9. Later Medieval Philosophy
10. Topics in History: History of Sexuality

And the backups, many of which are only backups because of timetable clashes…

1. Dark Age Europe: 7th – 10th C
2. Life in the Middle Ages
3. Women Writers
4. Introductory Latin
5. Vernacular Literature of the Middle Ages

I had set my heart on some of the courses I picked last time, but not all are offered, and the best have vanished (of course)… But better has replaced them, so i’m actually over the moon anyway! Research here I come! I’ve been considering the post-degree job hunting too, and i’ve got some wonderful ideas, although many are doubtful.

Back to Titus Groan and Gormenghast! Woo!