|
  |
|
|
A bit of a change
By Hilary Preece
We all like a bit of a change. My father walks to the shop everyday for the paper. He walks round the cricket pitch to get there. He gets the same paper every day of course, but sometimes, just for a bit of a change, he walks round the cricket pitch in the opposite direction. My mother spends most of her days in the same chair, but occasionally, just for a change, she moves to the chair at the other end of the room. Of course there wouldn't be any point in doing this too often, or it would loose its novelty value.
Women always like a bit of a change, a new hat, or skirt, or new hair do, and woe betide the husband that doesn't notice. Men too call the changes, a beard, or no beard, taking up a new sport a change of pub, a holiday, a bit of a change; We all do it, to greater or lesser degrees.
I was a teacher. I became a teacher, I think, because both my parents were teachers and I wanted to prove I was as good as them. I ended up teaching agressive and abusive children in a pupil referal unit. I loved it at first. I thought I was saving the world. It was a bit of a change from main stream teaching. After a while however it all became rather dull. Each child who swore violently or tried to shock you with whatever outragous behaviour he could think of, thought he was the first child to treat you like this but when you'd seen it all, well, you'd seen it all before!
At first when a child came to me not wanting to learn, I took every possible approach to find some was of interesting him. I went and picked children up for school, I begged, bribed and persuaded them. After two years of this however I found I just didn't care any longer. I took the attitude "You say you are a mature person, you say you don't need any education other than learning about money and weighing because you are going to be a drug dealer, fine I actually don't want to help you." It was time for a bit of a change.
I was tired. Teaching was tough. I decided to move to a foreign country where I knew no-one, where I didn't know the language or the regulations and open a tea-house. This I thought would be easier!
I hadn't thought too much about the fact that I would first have to renovate the building because I couldn't afford builders, but that was fine. It was all a change and a new challenge. I loved the tiled floor I laid, and am still proud of that. The man who sold me the tiles for the kitchen walls told me I had made a work of art. Of course any builder would have straightened the wall first and then tiled it so the rows were straight. I didn't know how to do this, far too complicated, battens and plasterboard; I just started at the bottom and worked my way up, so, as the wall bent so did the rows of tiles, but that was fine. It was a work of art. I didn't think much about the language being a problem, afterall you can always point in a shop, but I couldn't work the washing mashines in the laundrette. Why don't they work the same way as those in England? I didn't think it would matter if I couldn't talk to my french customers, afterall I only had to give them the menu and give them the bill. I didn't understand the tax system, I didn't understand that no-one gives you the information you need unless you specifically ask for it and if you don't know what question you need to ask, or who you need to ask, basically you're stuffed!!!!! It wasn't so much like I'd moved to another country, more like another planet.
I came to Brittany to have an easier life, and its beautiful, yes its fine, but in order to keep up with the tax demands I am open and working seven days a week. I'm tired. I need a bit of a change.
What next?
|
|
 |
|
No reactions yet.
Please login or sign up to rate this intel.
Please login or sign up to add a comment.
The copyright for this content entitled "A bit of a change" has been specified by the contributor as:
Public Domain
The copyright for this content has been relinquished by the author. The content may be used freely by anyone.
|
|
|
This intel was contributed by Hilary
|
May, 2012
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May
|
|
Not a member yet?
Qondio is a powerful network for making it online. If you have a website to
promote, we can help.
Sign up and get in on the action.
|
|
Welcome to Qondio! Discover the awesome power this network can deliver by going to our About page. Or you could skip straight to the Sign Up form.
|
|
