Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I don’t belong to the actual Tamwood generation.


Has anyone ever asked how long is one generation in Tamwood?. I had never thought about it before, but it is amazing how fast Tamwood is changing. It is true that I’m not in the average age of Tamwood students even though I was able to change my mind in order to think like a student in his twenties. (Maybe someone could think that my real mind is like that, so I didn’t need to change it. It’s totally false). At the beginning, all the students knew each other and the atmosphere was friendly, perhaps because when I arrived four month ago Tamwood was a small school with no more than 70 students and 7 classes. However, nowadays Tamwood has more than 150 students and more than 12 classes.


Just in only four months, everything has changed. Only two students and four teachers are still in the school (Even the secretary has changed), So my challenge had been saying Bon Voyage to all of them. If someone asked me “How did you handle it?” I would say depends on the day and the person who was leaving because I will never forget the good moments with the “Green Helmets”. They really make a mark on my life.


In conclusion, I can feel that my time in Tamwood is almost over, These actual Tamwood generation, in my opinion, has other priorities on their lives. They come basically for one month during their holidays to improve their English and that’s all. However, it is easy to me to go back to Spain because I really can feel that I don’t belong to the actual Tamwood generation.



I want to dedicate this part of the Blog to “The Green Helmet Generation”
Jachen, Miku, Pedro Chile, Pedro Brazil, Thais, Bettina, Philip, Marine, Yandle, Sophie, Hari, Son Youngho, Hyo Jin, Santiago, Rafael, Abdullah, Kyogei and the rest of the people of the School. I don’t want to forget our wonderful friends and also teachers Charlotte, Jacqueline, Monique, Kazu , Allie and of course Hani.

2 comments:

Sebastian in Vancouver said...

Hi Javier....

I think it is sad that you don't feel as a part of the new tamwood generation anymore... When will you leave Vancouver and Tamwood?

By the way, I think this sentence should be in past simple.:
"...At the beginning, all the students knows each other..." (knew each other)

greets sebastian

Jacqueline said...

Your blog made me feel all sentimental, Javier. You are so right that the winter and the summer atmosphere at Tamwood are very different. And you've also been witness to some big changes in the Tamwood staff as well (we've lost some really important people in the last months). Letting go is certainly one the challenges I too experience often as a teacher. I've learned to really enjoy the times and the people of the moment, but to also be willing to say goodbye when the time comes. And in tough or uncomfortable times to know that they too will pass. You've contributed so much to my classes and I'm so fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to know you (even if it was twenty-something Javier, and not the "real" you as you wrote). I hope you will continue to enjoy and savour your last week at Tamwood, but I totally understand that the "letting go" process is well underway.