Language teaching, language learning.

In addition to teaching language it will be necessary to get learning at least a few words, in order to get on with daily life comfortably. Having only really holidayed in Europe I have always enjoyed being able to communicate with people in their own language, at least to some degree. To this end I found a lovely site [1] which hopes to teach a very basic amount in one week. We'll see. AC is obviously proficient in Indonesian and from what I'd gleamed from hearing her speak the language, I'd got the rather misguided impression that Indonesian was some sort of Creolized Pigin. It turns out that it is a development of Malay. The reason that I had thought that it was perhaps developed from a Pigin was partly due to the large number of words that I recognized as being of European origin. Also, the grammar, as explained by AC, seemed simple e.g. pluralization through reduplication. The reason for the European flavour of the language turns out to be the influence of Dutch, Portugese, English. The the use of Indonesian as lingua franca in the area for centuries may partly explain the simple grammar, but I think as with many languages, while certain aspects of the grammar are fairly simple, others are difinately not. To this end, any effort to learn anything more than basic Indo will require exactly that; effort.

[1] http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/percakapan/indonesia7days/indo7days_fs.htm

Work and play

So with the Crab's parents living in Bandung, West Java, that becomes an ideal place to start from and lends a certain amount of flexibility. It is an amazing opportunity, staying with people who have lived exactly what I am to be living will make the experience less alien. Indeed Gary, Anja's father, worked as an English teacher initially, when he first moved over. For myself, having studied foreign languages at Univiersity, the idea of teaching English as a foreign language really does appeal. I have applied to do a CELTA course over the summer holidays and I have already begun working in schools in the UK. This will stop during the summer break, allowing time to do the course. 

I have also begun to look at ESL centres in Bandung. English First is apparently the largest language school so it makes sense to contact them first; or does it? Should I look toward to smaller independent schools or stick with the giants? Certainly they would offer more security but what is better for the local economy? Likewise, I don't want to tie myself down in one place if AC is wanting to move about. It would be important to find a job that allows me to have enough time off to see some of the country and that doesn't hold me in one place for too long. Is it possible, for example, to move to other language schools within the same contract? Inside Indonesia? Within southeast Asia? To do so I would benefit from working for someone like EF.