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IMPROMPTU SABBATICAL

As I glide towards 40 like a drunken, partially-naked man down a freshly polished bannister, I am resolved to get myself out of TEFL once and for all. She's a siren that has drawn me onto the rocks once too often, and if I don't send her packing with true resolve, I shall be hunched and nervous in the midst of a lengthy midlife crisis.


For this I need to concentrate, and so I have decided to leave the blogalaxy for a while to focus my efforts on regaining some self-esteem through hard labour. I've always fancied the idea of a sabbatical, something totally impossible in TEFL unless you're an eccentric millionaire just in it to chase perfumed foreigners. This time I cannot, and will not fail, according to my wife, Show.


I apologise for not commenting on your blogs recently, but I'm trying to wean myself off spending hours a day reading other peoples' largely brilliant writing, which is something most people do while taking a break from work, rather than instead of work.


This is not adeus, just até mais.


Let's see how long it lasts...

Comments

Gadjo Dilo said…
Ok mate, good luck, we'll miss you. A sabatical sounds an excellent idea - though I'm not at all certain what you have in mind. You could of course sell your (or rather your wife's) soul by moving to "civilised" short-back-and-sides Portugal, where you might earn more money and EU citizenship rules would apply. Or you could look for gold in them thar Brazilian hills - it's happened before.
31 July 2008 at 04:22
M C Ward said…
Thanks GD. In all probability I was having an overly-dramatic Wednesday and before next week I'll be tapping away again.

I have several top secret projects on the go I'm quite excited about, so that's what I meant by a sabbatical - figurative rather than literal, etc, etc.

As for Portugal - Brazilians have done the Portuguese lingo a big favour by dropping any attempt to sound Czech.
31 July 2008 at 09:19
No Good Boyo said…
Good luck MC. I'll miss your well-peppered slices of life, and look forward to a second sitting.

We often have vacancies at BBC Monitoring if you fancy moving to sunny Berkshire.
1 August 2008 at 07:31
M C Ward said…
Thanks NGB. To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of my complete mental collapse have been largely exaggerated. I think my withdrawal from the blogalaxy was maybe driven by vanity, like a dead man wanting to attend his own funeral just to see if anyone really cares that he's no more. That's either sad, or a sign that I really am cracking up.

As for BBC Monitoring, it sounds a hoot, but I fear my lady wife couldn't cope with life in sunny Bournemouth, let alone Reading. It would seem right up my alley, however. Can't one work online from another continent with a shakey Internet connection?
1 August 2008 at 08:28
Well-lighted Shadows said…
Well there are other things to write about apart from TEFl... so giving up TEFL doesn't mean you have to give up writing.

My computer crashed last Tuesday - I must say I've had a healthier existence since!! But here I am in the internet cafe, supposedly applying for jobs, but...

Anyway in the get out of TEFL debate; I managed to do two days work for a govt department this week - it was a pleasure not to have to talk the whole day!!

I hope to read something of your TEFL escape soon...
2 August 2008 at 22:13
Anonymous said…
5 day sabbatical??
23 August 2008 at 03:40
M C Ward said…
I don't need long, as the actress said to the bishop.
23 August 2008 at 13:06
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