Author Archives: martinoregan

Cafe5

Cafe5

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Go there, visit it, and see for yourself. For me it is a somewhere in the middle of a nowhere. Kolossy tér, you see, I’m not a fan of, and though there are things which will always tempt me when in the environs, I will never, and could never, recommend this area as an outright party place. Kolossy tér, I mean. It’s all very fabricated…check out Symbol up the street, that raw, mafia-esque, bling bling appeal, type of place, indicative of the decadence as resides within the remnants of this post-communist state (Forget the Puskas Pub appeal. Go Pest side and to the heart of the footballer’s club grounds if you want a sense of the authenticity on that front). The farther East you go in Europe the greater the obvious gap between rich and poor. Note, before you react, how I used the word “obvious”. Just because us in, what people here call, the West have found cynical means of concealing it doesn’t pass us off as saints. Being Irish I’m often left dumbfounded by what all continental Europeans deem as the greatness of England, Britain, the United Kingdom. As far as the bloody colonialist history that is a pan-european involvement (Irish included) goes, Britain remains one of the stalwarts at least in its representation, Queens etc, and this is probably what got the hackles up in the Irish press concerning the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Why other Europeans didn’t seem to take offence…could it be the hankering for the old order?

Jesus, talk about straying from the point! Cafe 5 around Kolossy tér on the Buda side of the city has plenty to offer. It’s a full day cafe, with an alternating lunch menu, a selection of drinks, cocktails, and all, and if I was stuck for a place to sit down in for a while there could be a lot worse. However, in the way of things, if I was looking for atmosphere in the mid-afternoon I would choose any of the Kocsmas nearby, and only then if I had no means of escaping into Pest, or at least away from here. Why? Go and see!

Cafe5

 

For Blog’s Sake

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Just reading an article on blogging, BloggingTips, and the tips it gives, and I’ve been inspired to write this down. I’m not a blogger! I’m a writer…and by that I mean only that my medium is the pen and paper, first, always. This is what makes having a blog page a pain in the posterior for me. I have the idea, scribble it down and am later compelled to put it once more in typed form onto my blog page. This sounds an awful lot like hard work, and whereas there was a time when I even tried to improve the voice recognition software* on my laptop (speaking practice is always good as a teacher, even better when a Best Man’s Speech is coming up) I gave up on that too. Now where do I go next. Let you tell me!!!

*VoiceRecognitionProbs

Skype Lessons

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Skype lessons are an essential part of the service I provide as they allow for the busy student to keep in contact with the target language within the comfort of his own home, or office, at a time that is suitable, and without the need to be presentable!

What does a Skype lesson consist of?

Well a Skype lesson is usually 30-45 mins due to the demand on students but some students do opt for the full hour.

Students are given the option of a video or audio call depending on what key area of their language skills they wish to develop, e.g. phone English.

Students will be expected to maintain a conversation during the allotted time and where requested Skype conversations can also be recorded by both parties for further individual review. The text messaging box can also be used during the lesson as a means to clarifying spoken errors, spelling, or as a means to providing quick links to relevant webpages etc. Skype keeps a record of all these messages so again they can be used as a good reference for later study.

Feedback

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Firstly, why is feedback essential?

Well, basically because it gives me the service provider the chance to see what does and does not work for particular students and to improve upon my standards all the time. No business, or business model, is successful if it fails to cater for its customers, and whereas a relatively new concept may gain initial popularity only time will tell the real story. As the Budapest English Teacher I not only offer a language learning service but also a fully adaptable model of business for a wide range of students with a wide range of tastes. And because people’s tastes are changing all the time so too, I believe, must any successful business! So please, as much as possible help me to develop further and always for the better.

 

For you, the student.

  1. Did you like the class, course, excursion? Why/ why not?
  2. What would you change about it, if anything?
  3. Would you take part in another course in the future? Why/why not
  4. Would you be interested in taking part in another course, or activity, provided by the BET? Why/why not?
  5. Would you recommend the BET to a friend? Why/why not?
  6. Was the price to service ratio acceptable? Why/ why not?
  7. How did you find out about the BET?

 

 

Excursions

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Rocky shore
Come with me

 

As part of the service provided by the Budapest English Teacher half-day/day trips will be organised for the more active, and willing, students.

These will take many forms but will include hiking, cycling, sight-seeing, and all within the framework of an English language experience.

Each location will be discussed beforehand and the activities will be formulated based upon the provision of the area, eg in Pilis hiking will be optimum whereas in Kopaszi Gát anything from canoeing to frisbee could be “on the cards”.

On the cards

An example then of a typical day would include:

8.30 am Meeting at a centrally located fixed point.

9am Departing either by bus, train, tram, bicycle, on foot or whatever…even the river is not to be ruled out, especially now that BKV have provided the river boat service.

10am* Arrival at destination of our choice. * This will vary depending on destination.

10.30am As a group we will take part in activities and during this time only English will be allowed. Advanced students who would like to act as group “invigilator” will get a price discount!!!

12.30pm Lunchtime

1-1.30pm This will either be the end of the end of the excursion and the returning time (half-day trip) or the start of the afternoon activities.

4pm This will be the end of activities and time to return home.

 

All students will be provided with a feedback sheet or if they wish they can go online at:

http://thehairyteacher.com/?p=1107

All feedback is welcome and will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

 

Commerate All

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twins
A beacon of …

 

I’d like to be remembered for my life, not my death.
Not just another victim that you will all soon forget.
Commerate me on a “Canal Bank Walk”,
Remember me by verse about which we can talk.
And let death in the shadow that lurks at Ground Zero
Create hope – and not just another tragic hero.

Baby Petanque

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All you need for this game is a baby, preferably at a younger age (more on that later), a set of eight balls (note plastic or sponge are more advisable: more on that later too), 2-4 players, and weather permitting, a garden

Played much like the normal game of petanque, boules, petanca, or whatever name you go by, baby petanque has one minor difference. Instead of using the cochonnet, or jack, a baby is used.

Petanque

Another discreet difference is that baby petanque is not confined to the outdoors, unlike the original, although I’m sure there are venues outside of the sunny Mediterranean region where lovers of the sport have adapted this too.

Overall the goal is very much the same with the player who lands their ball closest to the baby being the winner. This is why a younger baby is more suitable unless you feel like upping the stakes and playing a more challenging game of baby petanque, clueing in the factors of baby movement, and ball disturbance. For further information on baby movement and stakes purchase visit our official (non-existent) website Just Kiddin’ .

Now concerning the material of the ball: apart from damaging a tile floor if played indoors metal balls also hold the risk of harming the baby!

One last factor. A line is drawn at a minimum distance of ten feet from the stationary baby and it remains the constant starting point to which players have to return to after each round as, in contrast to normal petanque where the cochonnet is thrown back from whence the players have come, it is not advisable to go throwing baby around – however much you may be tempted sometimes!

As with all sports for active and imaginative parents the primary goal is to have some fun.

Everything else will be just a matter of happenstance and babychance.

 

 

 

Baby-driven yoga

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In the early months I can remember Andi suggesting that we copy everything that Tara did as she lay on her back on the bed between us. Lying flat on our backs and holding our legs out and up at a 45° angle for more than 10 seconds was pressing, more than 20 was testing, more than 30…well who am I kidding, but little Tara could hold them up there in that position for far longer, bring them back down and raise them again. We endeavoured to mimic her as best we could and, well, it was from this that an idea of baby-driven yoga was spawned. Now let me be clear about this. When it was formulated I was under the impression that two great minds, Andi’s and mine, were at work but as it later turned out Libero had got the jump on us by some years. In fact, it is quite possible that Andi had seen the advert herself and had been inspired by the trace memories. She’s in the business afterall.

Well it all came to pass that during a class with a particular student the topic came up of baby-driven activities and I mentioned the yoga idea. Imagine the horror when I learnt that the concept had already existed! Imagine the thoughts of conspiracy as I had in the earlier days of Tara been teaching a woman from the SCA marketing department. Storming home that evening the winds of fury driving me along I poured out my fears of betrayal, and such, to Andi. “Relax,” Andi proffered “that ad’s been out for longer than Tara’s been around.” So matter of factly! But nobody told me. The fury became a pout and I sulked off into an evening beer…and began to dream again of schemes and things.

Comment: The activity itself of baby-driven yoga is actually a good fitness test, as are most activities concerning babies and young children. I can only imagine the older kids are more psychologically challenging but let’ wait and see.

In order to get the most benefit out of it one needs to do exactly what the baby does up to the point of reason of course. Babies are, by their nature, much more flexible than us adults so don’t push yourself into a contortion from which you can’t return!

Enjoy!!!

My Site

Baby Rodeo

Baby Rodeo

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Trying to nappyise…

Made difficult if she decides she is not interested in cooperating. She’ll then employ all tactics necessary to fight the good fight which can be daunting if she is set down on her nappy-changer. The fall from there is about a metre to a tile floor. Worse still is if it’s a particularly messy present nappywise and she refuses to stay still. Altogether a tough discipline with points dropped for letting the baby fall, putting the nappy on backwards, or just getting all too messy. Drawbacks even if successful: A broken nose from a heel first, bruised body, or just ego. Other unpleasantness can be imagined.

and dress Tara….

A feat in itself this compromises  trying to pin her down while trying to prize one of her legs out from under her coiled up body, flicking her over and getting at least one into a pyjama leg. But even this is not enough because if the wait is too long she’ll have wriggled out again and scattered across the bed, giggles in her wake. While not as messy as the nappyising this has its challenges when it comes to all out physical endurance. Points dropped for putting legs in to arm parts of pyjamas, and vice versa; for making the baby cry!!!; for getting one or both legs in and losing them out again. A special penalty point is incurred if you have actually mistakenly put her pyjamas back on instead of her day clothes after changing her nappy in the morning.

The cider lout rules

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Year 3 of an eternal programme to get things to perfection in all ways cider-ly. First 2 years had the highlights and the low-lights, the last batch actually gassy and sweet on opening, while the previous year’s sour torment was over-ridden by the fact that there certainly was an effect, even if this was just a fast track to poisoning. Later harvesting versus earlier harvesting is also in debate this year with 3 specific time periods pencilled in. Today, 12/8/12, being the first of these with the windfalls all to choose from. The next harvest will also be windfalls and…while the last should be tree picked. Either way this year will see the introduction of the red apples from the garden too. Sweeter to taste let’s see how that translate into brewing and end product. Fingers crossed.

(T.B.C.)

Copyright © Martin O'Regan
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