As you´ve already could read, recently we welcomed our new teacher of New Zealand. Everything (everybody) new is interesting and therefore you have a chance to closer get to know Mr. McLeod in the way of interview.
Well, my name is John McLeod. I’m 21 years old. I have done five years at a college, and after the college I went to a university, where it took me 3 years to get my Bachelor’s Business studies. With the Business studies I was studying the Information systems. All my friends are still at the University – I rushed through it all very quickly.
For the last 5 years I was working as a swim-coach at my mother’s swimming school, so I’ve had experience with teaching children, but not at school – in the swimming-pool.
My mother put an address in a global newspaper and a man, who came from Martin must
have read it and sent an application to my mother and told me about the school here in
Slovakia.
I’ve had no idea where the country was. You know, I have only been to America once, so I
don’t know the world much…
The man told me that this school would be a good opportunity. He told me it was just a
little school, but the best in Slovakia.
Then I thought – what’s in Slovakia for me? What could I possibly do in Slovakia?
But I thought it would be something new, something different – going to the central
Europe…
I was told before I came, that it is going to be cold and I was told that the students
are really good…and generally nice. And that the teachers are OK, too…
The people are nice, the country has quite a few sights that are beautiful… I had a good
walk around Martin, I have been to Dolný Kubín and Bratislava…
I like what I see, even though everything looks a bit dull and grey… For most people it
is ugly, but for me it is just being different…
Oh yes, very different! My first impression here was: “Man, it’s cold! “
We have much more space, the New Zealand is 5 times bigger than Slovakia, with the
population of 3.5 million.
I come a small town of about 18,000 people, so I feel quite at home here in Suèany.
But, well, as for the schoolboys it is much the same…
Only an embarrassing one…
I got lost in Suèany! After about a week here, I thought I would be OK with the
orientation. I made it from Martin by myself, but then… I didn’t know what direction I
was supposed to take…
I just walked in certain direction for half an hour, then I found it was probably not the
right one, so I turned round and took another one, until I found that it was not the right
one either…
I was asking people, they were showing me around, showed me the school, pointed to all
different directions, and I was thinking: ”Aaah…!”
Fortunately, I had a number of one of my colleagues. I thought: ”If she is not at home,
I am going to die here…”
I made it to the petrol station and wanted to make a call from there, but nobody was able
to speak English, so I had to use body language…
It was quite an experience…
After I came, the people who came to pick me up took me to restaurant and bought me a
big meal.
And after that they gave me a drink of borovièka, then beer, then wine and brandy… Ooh!
That was my first day here!
What do I miss? The water!
On the New Zealand it takes half an hour to get to the coast. Here you have to travel
miles and miles…
Well, I haven’t missed them that much… It’s one of the things I have left behind
for a while and I keep in my mind that I would really appreciate going back to the New
Zealand one day.
… and I miss the summer. On the New Zealand it doesn’t snow too much. And here –
when I first saw the snow falling down, I was sitting by the window for 2 hours staring
out. I have never seen snow fall like that… And all the teachers would say:”What
happened? It’s just snow!”
It’s amazing how people take things for granted when they live in a country for so
long…
And one more thing which I like here – the icy footpaths! You may walk for a while and
then just go for a slide… you can’t do that on the New Zealand.
It’s fun. On my first day, my hands were shaking a bit…
I have heard that the students are hard-working and intelligent and blah…blah…blah…
But I really enjoy it! The students are very accommodating and nice. In my first lesson I
was very relaxed and I walked out with a smile on my face…
The whole environment of the school? Lovely! It’s good…some nice atmosphere. A big
family. I was very impressed…