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THEY THINK IT'S ALL OVER...

I've done it.

On Tuesday I finally resigned from public life as a TEFL teacher to spend more time with my family and my laptop. The owner of the school where I perform my daily masquerades tried to persuade me to stay, but, in a rare display of assertiveness, I held my ground and stated my decision was final. Now I intend to etch a better living from translation, though I'll be giving a few private classes and still teaching on Saturdays at my friend Bert's school.

No more daily 60-kilometre round trips. More male voice choir singing. Less time for blogging. An urgent need to learn touch typing.

Today, I was so made up about it all I got utterly arseholed on Brahma* at a birthday party in Piracicaba. And I don't even like Brahma.

The end of an era. Thank fuck for that.


* To avoid any confusion, Brahma is a popular Brazilian lager, noted for its bitter aftertaste. It is not a favourite steed of mine, nor a courtesan from the Indian subcontinent.

Comments

Ms Scarlet said…
Congrats, Mr Wardy!!! And good luck with the private lessons...
Sx
M C Ward said…
Thank you kindly, Ms Scarlet. Freedom awaits.
Ron Combo said…
Good luck to you old chap.
M C Ward said…
Thank you, kinde squire.

Drink a grappa to my health and I'll match it with cachaça.
No Good Boyo said…
Well done that man. These monkies can learn themselves english like I did.

Brahma had a big advertising campaign in Kiev a few years back. It didn't work, as the locals thought it came from India and was therefore not proper beer. Right assessment, wrong reason. They've not tried Cobra, of course.
Mrs Pouncer said…
MC, I scarce know what to say! But you seem happy, and that's the main thing. If you're happy. I'm happy. If you're arseholed, I'm arseholed. I will gladly drink to your health and future happiness. What are you having?
M C Ward said…
See, Boyo? It must be poisonous if even the Ukranians won't swallow it.

Mrs P - this may sound like one small step for a man, but fifteen years of repeating myself daily with little or no evidence of any point to it all makes it my own version of a lunar landing.

Saúde!
Anonymous said…
Bastard!!
Troy said…
But was the girl at the party!?
Ugh, it'll all end in tears - you mark my words!
Gadjo Dilo said…
Well done that man. Giving up a job is a major acheivement - I've been fired more times than I've voluntarily relieved my employers of their anxiety.

Some Brasilian capoeira colleagues used to impress the virtues of Brahma upon me, but they'd have drunk dog piss if it came in a fancy bottle.
Gyppo Byard said…
Uncanny - almost 10 years to the day since my own escape tunnelt from TEFL emerged into the night air and allowed me to begin a new and exciting life.

Warning - it's not that much more exciting outside TEFL, unless you've taken up something exceptionally interesting...
don´t stop writing man!!

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