The Boy and The Coconut Tree

5 weeks into my Barcelona teaching adventure and I think I’ve finally hit the ground running (though I am sure you are supposed to say that at the beginning of an adventure, not 5 weeks in, but you know what I mean, well anyone who knows me will know what I mean? Now I’ve written about national stereotypes before and will probably do so again, they are interesting but can be annoying when they are true. My students, not those in the school as they are mostly on time and I get paid regardless, the other students, the students whose offices etc I travel to or sit in cafes near their offices waiting for them, those students. Punctuality is not a strong point, I am tempted to teach them the word, have the spell it and use it in a complex sentence, well I will do if they turn up. The latest act of or rather lack of punctuality was Thursday when my 530pm student texted me at 525 pm to tell me she wasn't able to make it and was busy at work. I am sure she knew she was busy at work at...

Does flattery get you anywhere and does flattery work with you? I ask this as something funny happened to me today and I shouldn't have been shocked. I was swimming at my gym and minding my own business as that is all you can do when you are face down in a swimming pool when I paused at the shallow end for a drink of water. A female personal trainer was standing at the end of the pool watching the swimmers. She introduced herself and told me she thought I was a good swimmer. Of course my ego was tickled and we chatted a little about how I love swimming, I used to swim in a team a long long time ago (I was 14 or 15) and swim a lot. She invited me to join the gym's swimming club on Thursday evenings. It sounded good, a bit of competition and coaching etc and she asked for my contact details. She then slipped in at the end that there was a fee of £5 per week to join in. Now my gym is not the most expensive in London but it isn't cheap. I felt a little cheated and rea...